Urgent Dental or Eye Problems

If you are not registered with an NHS dentist, then please phone the Wiltshire Dental Helpline (Monday-Friday 8.30am-5.00pm).

If you are registered with an NHS dentist, then please call them first, as they will have their own process for providing urgent care.

Urgent out of hours dental treatment 

Outside of the hours mentioned above, please call 111.

(The NHS 111 service is for when you need urgent care but it's not a 999 emergency. It's available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.)

More serious problems

Please go to the Emergency Department or call 999 immediately if you experience any of the following:

• Uncontrollable bleeding following dental extractions
• Rapidly increasing swelling around the throat or eye
• Severe trauma to the face and jaws

Frequently Asked Questions

What is considered as an 'urgent' dental problem?

If you experience either of the following:

• Severe dental and facial pain not controlled by over-the-counter preparations.
• Acute facial swelling or dental abscess.

What happens when I ring the out of hours dental service?

Specially trained staff will answer your call.  They will ask you some questions, for example your name, address and the reason for your call. Your problem will initially be assessed over the phone.

They will then either:

• Put you through to a Nurse to give you advice on how to look after yourself
• Ask you to come in to one of our centres to be treated by one of our team.  

All calls to the out of hours dental service are treated in confidence.

There will be a charge for treatment at the out of hours service. NHS charging bands give more information. 

Where else can I go for dental advice and treatment out of hours?

Your local Pharmacy may be able to offer advice. Check notices at your local Pharmacy or look in your local paper to find out which chemists are open outside normal hours.

The NHS Choices website (www.nhs.uk) provides 24-hour, confidential healthcare advice and information; or you can call them on 0845 46 47. All staff are trained Nurses or healthcare professionals.

Community Urgent Eyecare Service (CUES)

The brand new service means that high-street opticians can offer free treatment advice and management for urgent eye conditions such as a red or painful eye, foreign body, sudden change in vision, or sudden onset of flashes and floaters which may suggest retinal detachment.

Anyone, whatever age and whether registered with an optician or not, can access treatment for any new or worsening urgent eye conditions.