I`m in pain

cootambear

One of my fillings has fractured and I`m in great pain. I cannot afford private treatment, so I want emergency NHS treatment. Understand there are certain questions you have to answer correctly before you can get it. Does anyone know what these questions are, and the correct answers? Please help. Many thanks in advance.

welshdent

questions? Not that I am aware of. I wouldnt suggest a little white lie either because its likely to get you less than more in my experience. The odds of you seeing someone over the weekend are heavily stacked against you to be honest. You do not fall in to the "emergency" bracket of bleeding, spreading infection or trauma. Around here, they normally have a clinic that will see you over the weekend if you are one of the first 20 that call unfortunately. My advice is to try NHS direct and find out about your local NHS out of hours service and be QUICK because they will fill up very quickly.

coldstreamalways

Anyone is entitled to emergency dental treatment by their PCT (in England, I have no idea about the rest of the UK) whether you earn a million pounds or no pounds. If you are on benefits (can't remember which ones) you may be exempt from paying the £16.50 charge, you would need to take proof with you. Otherwise it will cost £16.50, that's the rule and is not flexible.

You will have to answer a medical history questionnaire before you get treatment, there are no right or wrong answers there, just the truth.

As Welshdent said, NHS direct is your first port of call. In the emergency clinic I work at, our patients are directed to us from NHS direct, they cannot turn up on an ad hoc basis, they call NHS direct who give them our number, they call us and we arrange to see them.

Your post does sound strange (I hope you won't take that as an insult) "I want emergency NHS treatment" "the correct answers", the correct answers are always the truth.

Just out of interest, when did your filling fracture?

Hope you get it sorted.

brook2jack

If you are thinking of a true emergency (ie you want treating tonight) I'm afraid pain no matter how severe will not qualify for most authorites as an emergency.

As the criteria are very specific if you lied and said you had them you would not get any treatment as you would be directed to a and e who are not set up to replace fillings or other routine dental treatment.

However most places will have an emergency clinic open some time over the weekend but you will have to be prepared to get in early and probably have a bit of a wait (often a few hours) and you may have to travel a distance. Phone NHS direct who will inform you of toothache arrangements.

Obviously the main thing is to get yourself along to a regular dentist for regular treatment, because by far the greatest number of people attending emergency clinics are those who do not attend regularly.