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 enquiry from Cowbridge, identify the Vale of Glamorgan town and any usual dentist. Follow Cardiff and Vale’s dental triage instructions rather than travelling to a hospital whose street name happens to include Cowbridge. Confirm the booked venue and purpose of the visit. Afterwards, ask what treatment remains, whether a general dentist or another team will provide it and how records should be transferred if the next stage is elsewhere.
For urgent dental needs, contact a usual dentist first. Cardiff and Vale’s CAV 24/7 route provides dental assessment when you have no dentist or need out-of-hours help. Community dental referrals are assessed for the most appropriate clinic, which may not be the closest one. Routine NHS interest is handled separately through the Dental Access Portal.
When an offer is made, confirm whether the appointment is in Cowbridge or another part of Cardiff and the Vale before arranging transport. Ask whether reviews will remain at the same venue and what support is available. If you need a community service, a healthcare professional must make the referral; finding a clinic online does not complete that assessment.
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