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.
Start with your registered practice. If you are not registered and need urgent care during the day, follow the local health-board route listed by NHS inform. For out-of-hours dental emergencies, contact NHS 24 on 111. Some emergency centres require an appointment after telephone assessment; check before travelling.
Local patient planning
An urgent Shetland request should identify the island, the patient's registration and any imminent onward travel. Follow NHS Shetland's current daytime instructions or NHS 24 out of hours; do not travel to an on-call clinic without advice to attend. Explain worsening symptoms and recent treatment so the assessor can determine priority. Before leaving a consultation, ask whether the intervention is temporary and what a dentist at home or elsewhere needs to know to complete the care.
NHS Shetland advises registered patients to contact their dentist. Its guidance directs unregistered patients and visitors to Montfield for initial assistance during office hours and NHS 24 outside them. The service assesses priority and may offer a different clinician or venue from the patient's usual one. Occasional urgent care is distinct from access to the full range of continuing NHS treatment.
After receiving an appointment, check the complete journey and return, including any inter-island connection and assistance needed after treatment. Tell the clinic if travel changes make attendance difficult. Ask for a written account of temporary work and any permanent treatment still required. If referral beyond Shetland is proposed, obtain the receiving service's arrangements before making assumptions about travel or funding.
For ongoing NHS care, use NHS inform's dental service information and ask practices about registration. An emergency assessment is not the same as joining a practice for routine care. Odenta's expression of NHS interest is independent of NHS Scotland registration and cannot reserve an NHS place.
Understand dental access in ScotlandLocal 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