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 Flintshire enquiry, provide the town or village where you are currently staying. The county label covers several possible travel patterns, so wait for a specific appointment and venue rather than selecting a clinic from a list. Tell triage whether a practice is already treating you and whether symptoms have changed. Before leaving an urgent visit, establish who will complete any remaining treatment and whether follow-up involves a general dentist or another public service.
Flintshire falls within Betsi Cadwaladr public dental arrangements. An existing dentist is the first contact for an urgent problem; NHS 111 Wales is the route without a dentist or outside normal practice hours. Urgent attendance requires an appointment. Routine Welsh Dental Access Portal applications and assessment for community dental needs are separate from an emergency enquiry.
For planned care, check whether a council-listed transport service covers the specific journey and whether you meet its conditions; book in advance where required and confirm the return trip. Do not rely on community transport for urgent response or delay dental advice while arranging it. If considering care over the English border, identify the receiving service and clarify its charges and follow-up arrangements.
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