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 dental problem in Penarth, contact the usual practice or follow the CAV 24/7 dental instructions. Do not assume the University Dental Hospital is a walk-in destination simply because it is nearby. Explain symptoms, recent treatment and where you are staying, then use the venue confirmed after assessment. Before leaving the appointment, ask whether further work is required and which dentist will coordinate it if ongoing care is at a different practice.
Cardiff and Vale’s CAV 24/7 service uses dental nurses to assess urgent enquiries and can arrange an appropriate location when needed. Contact a usual dentist first during its opening hours. Community dental care is referral-based and the allocated clinic may not be the nearest. Routine NHS interest is recorded through the Dental Access Portal, separately from these assessments.
If a Penarth patient is offered a Cardiff or other Vale venue, confirm which team is receiving the appointment and whether later visits stay there. Explain mobility, communication or carer needs before a community referral is allocated. If treatment returns to a general practice after an urgent or referred stage, ask how findings will be shared and who arranges the next appointment.
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