Just broken my tooth - not registered with a dentist.

[Dysgu]

One of my top molars has just broken - actually, it had already broken on the side but, as it didn't hurt, I did nothing about it. this was probably a couple of months ago. Just now the filling - which has been redone at least 4 times - fell out so I now have a big hole. It feels like there is actually more hole than tooth.

I am not registered with a dentist. There are no dentists in the whole county taking on NHS patients.

I do have another broken tooth - just a bit off the side of a lower molar that does not hurt and hasn't done since it broke a couple of years ago. The rest of my teeth are probably not in great order. I had HUGE amounts of dental work done as a child and was really good at seeing the dentist. The last time the filling was done in today's broken tooth, the anaesthetic paralysed the whole side of my face, including my eye (so I could not blink) for over 24 hours and I have never seen a dentist since. This was several years ago and in a different part of the country.

As the tooth is not hurting do I:

1. phone around local dentists and see if they will give me an emergency appointment?
2. use this as a good time to register the whole family with a dentist, make appointments and see what happens?
3. something else?

any suggestions welcome

Nhs 24/direct. they can get you emergency treatment on the nhs. or at least put you in touch with a dentist doing the emergency cover. Dh did that last year with an abcess and got tooth canal treatment that way.

Thank you - I have had a look and the local PCT number might be the one to try. However, they suggest you should only call if there is pain that is not affected by painkillers. I have no pain in the tooth at all. Therefore, I am wondering if this is actually an emergency or simply a wake-up call?

Do you have a dental hospital nearby?

I was in a similar position recently. I cracked a tooth and was not registered with anyone. I couldn't find anyone to see me, so called the number provided by my PCT to find a dentist.

They were able to offer me a choice of 2 dentists that would be able to see me the same day, and I used it as the push I needed to register. The dentist fixed my tooth that afternoon, and told me that the problem with leaving it was that although it wasn't causing any immediate problems, it wasn't sensible to wait until it did become an issue - especially as that might happen out of hours!

Emergency or not, give them a ring. You will need to find a dentist at some stage, and if there are none taking new patients in your area, they will be able to help you register somewhere.

senua No there is no dental hospital in the county. The nearest one is on the mainland.

browneyesblue I think I will call the PCT number - if I can find it - tomorrow and see what they say. This tooth has previously been a nuisance - it has been filled multiple times so I should probably get it sorted before it does start hurting.

Thank you everyone for advice.