How on earth do I get a dental appointment??

[TheBeesKnee]

I'm in a lot of pain and I'm reaching the point where painkillers aren't doing much to help. The pain is throbbing across my jaw, up my ear and down my neck. It's reaching similar levels to when I needed a root canal a couple of years ago.

I've been calling dentists, no one is picking up, one had a voicemail telling people to call 111... but that 111 were also very busy.

I'm feeling rather desperate.

I had to have a root canal during lockdown but it took 3 weeks of sobbing down the phone at 4am. They do have out of hours dentist numbers but I can't find the one I used and I think they might be regional. They will ask you if you're struggling to breathe, have swelling or have had a bump to the area and if the answer is no you're not a priority :-( I eventually got someone to see me by saying they could extract it and then they did xrays and referred me elsewhere for the RC. You have my sympathies! I couldn't use ibuprofen but found codeine, ice pack and electric toothbrush on area also helped temporarily. Good luck!

Some NHS hospitals with emergency dental care are seeing patients. Do you know if you have one near to you?

Try emailing instead. My dentist is responding to emails but not phone calls.

Do you not have a regular dentist? If you do, try them first - check their website on how to contact them.

If not, there should be a regional dental service that can triage you and find you somewhere to go.

The NHA dental system sucks quite frankly. Dh and I have had to join a private practice and now pay a monthly sum to guarentee a service when we need one (when you do it's worth every penny). That was after I was in a similar situation to yours and had to beg to be seen at the local dental hospital.

Do you have a dentist you see normally? Even during lockdown proper mine had reception and at least one dentist there to give advice and triage people to a hub. The dentist was doing video consultations, and could also prescribe antibiotics if needed.

They are now operating semi-normally, but with smaller numbers of patients and enhanced PPE. I needed a replacement mouthguard, and have been in for impressions and then a fit appointment since July.

I’m in Scotland, and I know my surgery are seeing people same-day for pain as normal (if they have space) but some treatments are still being referred out to the hub. I think they are limited on some things for NHS patients still, so it’s either refer to hub or pay privately.

I really hope you get sorted, tooth pain is the worst.

I haven't been to the usual dentist in 2 years. I've left a voicemail explaining the situation and asking for a callback. I've moved towns in this time but hoping they will call me back anyway.

I didn't even know dental hospitals existed. I'll have a Google.

@TheBeesKnee A private practice should see you. Will cost but they are pretty much back to normal appointments now (just with more PPE), NHS have been a lot further behind/restricted with what they can do and that's caused backlog.

Let us know what happens, OP?
I had to ring 10 dentists (all private) to find even one who could take me, but at least almost all were answering the phone.

If you can, go private - faster, less hassle, more procedures available. My usual dentist has been closed until recently and even now they work at a very very reduced capacity.

I went private and was seen within 24 hours after my NHS dentist prescribed me antibiotics over the phone and told me I’d probably need the affected tooth removing. I ended up with very expensive private treatment but still have all my teeth and saying that without having seen me was the final straw after years of shocking treatment.

I need a new front crown. My old one has broken and has been placed back by the dentist a few weeks ago with a warning that it won't last, is a simple procedure to have a new one but that he was not allowed to do it currently. His advise was to go to a private dentist
So why is this happening?
Why can a private dentist do procedures that an NHS one can't? After all they could be the same dentist.
OP you have my sympathy

I’ve gone private too. I think we re at the point where NHS dental treatment is going to have to be means tested and only available to people on very low incomes. It completely sucks but that seems to be where we are. Realising I’m going to need to start a saving plan to cover dental.

I don't get paid until next week so won't be able to go until then even if anyone does answer the bloody phone. I can imagine it's about to get a whole lot worse as well.

Don't know what emergency services are currently running but - www.bhamcommunity.nhs.uk/patients-public/birmingham-dental-hospital/about-the-hospital/