DS called 111 for cracked tooth, won't help?

[Bibboo]

He doesn't have a dentist as we moved and haven't found an NHS dentist available.

Weeks ago he cracked his tooth. He says it is cracked in half.

He wouldn't ring to get any help but its hurting him a lot.

He finally rang 111 today and they said because there is no bleeding its not an emergency.

What is he supposed to do? It obviously needs extracting.

He is autistic and really scared of the dentist so hid it for a while (he is 21)
He lost his job a couple of months ago too so that is an added issue as I don't think he is covered for NHS treatment? Im not sure how it works.

Can anyone help pls?

Pay for an emergency appointment or go private.

Can you ring them back on his behalf and explain its an emergency dental situation,? Otherwise you might have to go private and get it sorted

https://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk/our-services/dental-treatment-undergraduate-students

As he doesn’t have an NHS dentist he will just have to pay to be seen privately somewhere (most dentist are always taking on privately, just not NHS). It’s rubbish but part and parcel of moving and losing your dentist these days.

You need to find the number for your Local dental helpline. It will be online. Just type emergency dentist appointment for person on benefits. And put your area in .
They should be able to help you. You may have to pay a small amount if he needs a prescription for antibiotics if infected .

Very few people are able to access nhs dentistry abd having a job makes no difference.

most people just pay to be seen privately.

there are options if you/he genuinely have no money and it’s very bad.

If he doesn't have a job has he checked his eligibility for free dental care?

Free NHS dental care

We don't have much money at all

How much would it be to be seen private? I think it might need taking out

It won't make any difference if they can't get an nhs dentist which is the main issue

His eligibility is irrelevant if no dentists have space.

In my area we have 1 nhs dentist and a waiting list as long as your arm.
Me and my three kids are at a private dentist. £55 a check up per person even for my oldest whose at uni and my youngest whose 15.
My private dentist offers an emergency appt same day if your not registered. It's around £80 from memory. That includes x ray and prescription if antibiotics are needed. Any further treatment is extra.

My private dentist charges around £50 for the consultation and I believe I paid about £300 for the tooth extraction.

Is there a dental hospital near you?

Are there any nhs dentists locally that are taking on patients? I'm not sure what your area is like but I personally have an local nhs dentist that advertised they were taking on new patients so you may have similar? Other than that you could try 111 again and state he has severe pain

The problem is there are so few dentists with NHS spaces.Attached is the price list from my dentist but I think there is so much variation, and their emergency fee is £250 so that might be what this is classed as. Although if it is cracked and the root remains then I would have thought they would repair it?

It cost me £350 for my sons tooth extraction at a private dentist. He'd been suffering with an abscess under the tooth for weeks. His NHS dentist had ignored it for years 😕

Phone again, say it's causing so much pain he can't function and you think it's infected. Sometimes it's necessary to lie a bit to get the appointment. I also found Sunday mornings were a good time to call.

DP ended up with septic arthritis and emergency surgery that could have lost his leg (50/50 chance on surgery) due to sounding too stoic when talking to 111. Now I just ham it up a bit to get him seen, the 2 times it's been needed since. The dentist has never not felt there was urgent emergency work that needed doing immediately, so I feel no guilt.

Are you in/able to get to London? You used to be able to go to the dental school at Guy’s Hospital and wait to be seen

I’m autistic and scared of the dentist so I feel for him. It really is horrible and the whole experience of going to the dentist is really a sensory nightmare. Getting an extraction may well be quite traumatic for him depending on his level of support needs so just saying make sure you make the dentist aware. I always do for myself and my son, and they’re really good (still hate it, but I hate it less).

Whereabouts are you? There’s a chain called Night & Day that will see him same day or next day. £50 for initial consultation then whatever treatment is required is billed separately.

Even if there are no NHS dentists with space to take you on there should be an emergency NHS dentist that can see you.

https://www.northeastnorthcumbria.nhs.uk/here-to-help-you/nhs-dentistry/get-urgent-dental-care/

Do you have a local emergency NHS dentist place? There is one in my town- strange set-up, it’s a portacabin a car park with limited opening hours. It’s not easy to get an appointment- you can only phone at set times and then sit in the queue. Sometimes by the time they answer, all of the appointments have gone. However I did manage to get in with mine once for an awful infection. The tooth needed extracting but they couldn’t do it as the tooth had unusual roots and it needed a specialist. But they can do straightforward extractions and fillings as well as prescribing antibiotics if needed. Extractions cost about £70-£80 on the NHS if I remember correctly.

To add- if he ends up having to see a private dentist, many offer payment plans to spread the costs of treatment as they recognise that a lot of people can’t easily lay their hands on hundreds of pounds at the drop of a hat.

do you have a local nhs dental hospital anywhere near you? i’d go there and wait.

I once rang 111 and they did manage to locate an emergency dentist for me, it was an appointment about 50 miles away (I live in a major city). It could be worth ringing again and checking if you can make the trip.
I’m rolling my eyes at everyone saying “he’ll just have to pay private”. You’re looking at about £350 how do people not understand not everyone has that.