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.
Registered patients should contact their own dentist first. For unregistered patients with urgent or pressing dental conditions on weekdays, consult the current Dental Access Scheme information linked by nidirect. At weekends and bank holidays, follow the official Emergency Dental Clinic instructions. These are assessed services, not a promise of a walk-in appointment.
Local patient planning
For an urgent Dundonald problem, describe the dental symptoms and follow the current HSC dental instructions rather than choosing a hospital solely by proximity. Tell the assessor if you have recently undergone treatment or already have a referral. Confirm the actual clinical destination before travelling. If urgent care changes a plan being managed by another service, ask how the findings will reach that team and which clinician should organise the remaining treatment or review.
The trust's community dental information sets out a professional-referral service and directs patients with urgent needs to the appropriate dental arrangements. Follow those instructions rather than assuming that every hospital department can assess an unscheduled dental problem. Give the service details of any current dentist or previous treatment so it can understand what care is already underway.
If the proposed Dundonald care involves both a practice and hospital services, ask who makes the referral, who confirms acceptance and who tells you where to attend. Keep treatment and travel arrangements provisional until the clinical appointment is confirmed. Discuss support or communication needs in advance. For a private course, clarify whether the quoted plan includes any referred stage or whether that requires separate assessment, consent and charges.
Ask dental practices about Health Service registration and use the official nidirect guidance to understand your options. Capacity varies, and a private visit does not necessarily include Health Service registration. Check whether each proposed treatment is under Health Service or private arrangements and request an explanation of costs before care.
Understand dental access in Northern IrelandLocal 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