to be surprised there is not a sunday emergency dentist for children in north or east london

[Botherations]

Ds (4) knocked a tooth out today. Luckily a baby tooth but it ripped his gums badly as the root pulled through the front if the gum and up and I think the end of the root is still there inside as its broken near the tip. Lots of blood and also hit his head on concrete from a drop.

I rung 111 for an emergency dentist and was told they closed at 2, and to take him to children's a&e. Once there it was a nightmare, they couldn't help or find anywhere to go. I'm now waiting for dentist to open tomorrow. I feel awful, it's still lightly bleeding, swollen and sore. I know it's not the end of the world luckily for him, but I do think it's unreasonable that a major city has no provision at all for Sunday afternoon dentists for children. Surely some children have really urgent needs out if hours? Aibu? With dental access an older child could have permanent teeth saved or painful injuries helped.

gosh that's awful , do the dental hosptials not have any emergency provision? like the eastman? :( hope they can help today
(off to research emergency dentists in case we end up in same situation!)

Its a crock of crap. We went to Tottenham Laurels community service the dentist was excellent and sorted me out quickly. It was Sunday afternoon I think. 111 have the wrong information, they think there's a service at hospitals but there isnt. Write a letter of complaint, somethings not right here.

Eastman has been private only for years.

There are numerous adult options,but none see children. Even after an earful from a&e which I overheard.

I do an OOH clinic just outside london on Sundays. We see all comers but only open 1000-1400. That's all it's funded for. It's a PCT problem and you should complain to your MP. We (dentists) used to do our own NHS OOH service but the government took it from us and said they would provide it by way of dental access centres....

Eastman definitely are NHS for usual hours care.

baby teeth dont have roots

Yes they do frank. a quick google might help if you want to state facts in future.

The roots dissolve when they are naturally pushed out, but are still there if removed early... if they didn't have roots they'd fall out eating hard things!

Mrsmorton its really not good enough, they can't take a service away from dentists and then just not bother replacing it? What about traffic acvidents etc? Do they patch up the broken arms and legs and put the teeth on hold til monday morning?
As a professional MrsM why do you think this has happened? I'm sitting here ready to send an email.
MrsAngry of North London.

Tiny Blair promised everyone would have access to an NHS dentist, no one listened when we said it wouldn't work and four hours on a Sunday doesn't equal access to an NHS dentist.

Exactly what they do, patch everything else up and say see a dentist ASAP. I saw one lady who's tooth had been knocked out on a Friday night, by the time she got to us on Sunday, there was nothing we could do. A&E could just have put it back in...

And the problems caused to general health by bad teeth are going to cost everyone more in the long run. Its as though teeth arent really a human body part at all. Just an add on, like an easyjet suitcase.