Local treatment planning
Understand the treatment and the local access route before requesting care. The treating practice assesses suitability and confirms any appointment, fees and follow-up.
Urgent dental safety
Seek urgent dental assessment for severe or persistent pain, increasing swelling, a knocked-out adult tooth or bleeding after an extraction. Call 999 or go to A&E for serious facial injury, heavy bleeding that will not stop, or severe mouth or neck swelling affecting breathing or swallowing. Do not wait for an Odenta response.
For urgent dental problems, contact your usual practice or follow your local health board's dental helpline instructions. The correct route can vary by health-board area. The routine Dental Access Portal is not an emergency service: do not wait for an allocation if pain, swelling or injury needs attention.
Local patient planning
For an urgent Brecon problem, contact your usual dentist or follow the Powys NHS 111 Wales instructions. Do not assume the community dental department at the War Memorial Hospital is the correct place for an unscheduled visit. Mention any referral or treatment already underway. Once assessed, confirm the actual clinic and purpose of the appointment, then ask whether follow-up will be in Brecon or at another site and who is responsible for arranging it.
Powys directs urgent dental needs without a general dentist to NHS 111 Wales. Its community service explains that patients may need to travel because services differ between clinics. Specialised care uses referral, while routine NHS interest is managed through the Dental Access Portal. A hospital dental listing does not confirm acceptance into either route.
If your referral is allocated to Brecon, ask whether later stages also take place there and what help is available for attendance. Tell the team if travel from a surrounding community is difficult or if someone must accompany you. When urgent treatment is separate from the planned course, request the findings so the clinician responsible for ongoing care can decide the next step.
If you do not have an NHS dentist, the Welsh Dental Access Portal lets eligible people register interest in routine NHS care. Health boards allocate places when they become available. Check the official eligibility and application guidance, including applications for children or someone you care for. Keep using your usual practice if you already have one.
Understand dental access in WalesLocal access sources checked . These independent public services are separate from DAN participation. Follow their current instructions.
A dental professional assesses the problem, your symptoms and relevant medical history.
Prompt assessment can identify whether pain, swelling, trauma or a broken restoration needs urgent treatment.
An online request is not a diagnosis and does not guarantee a same-day appointment.
Ask whether the quoted fee covers assessment only or includes X-rays and immediate treatment.
This is general information. Your clinician assesses the problem, explains alternatives and agrees your individual plan.
Read the complete emergency dentist guide
For dental practices
Apply through DAN, complete onboarding and control your public profile, services and patient requests. Your practice decides whether it can offer an appointment.
Apply to join DAN