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 urgent Holywell dental needs, describe the problem to your practice or NHS 111 Wales and confirm where to attend before travelling. The community hospital dental listing does not authorise an unscheduled visit. Tell the assessor if you are waiting for a community appointment so the urgent episode can be considered separately. Ask after treatment whether the tooth needs further care, which dentist should arrange it and how any relevant records will reach that clinician.
In Holywell, use a usual dentist first for urgent advice. Betsi Cadwaladr directs people without a dentist or needing out-of-hours help to NHS 111 Wales and requires booked urgent clinic attendance. The hospital department listing and the Welsh Dental Access Portal serve different purposes; neither confirms that treatment can start at that hospital.
For a community appointment, check the receiving clinic and what assessment or referral has been completed. Explain any requirement for transfer assistance, a carer or communication support rather than assuming all facilities are interchangeable across Flintshire. If care moves to another venue, ask how the clinical information and responsibility for reviews will be transferred.
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