Dental Care

The NHS in Lincolnshire is committed to ensuring everyone has access to a dentist and dental care when they need it, whether for routine check-ups, urgent treatment, or emergency care. With growing demand for dental services, the NHS acknowledges the challenges some people face in accessing NHS dental care and is taking steps to improve availability and reduce waiting times.  

Routine dental care

Routine dental care includes regular check-ups, scale and polish treatments, fillings, and preventative advice. Typically, you should visit the dentist every six months for regular check-ups, however, people with good oral health may only need to visit every 12 to 24 months.

Your dentist should suggest when you should have your next check-up based on how good your oral health is. There is lots of advice on how to take care of your teeth and gums on the NHS website.

To access routine care, you should contact your regular NHS dentist. If you do not have one, use the NHS Find a Dentist tool to find a dental practice accepting new NHS patients or offering a place on their waiting list.

Urgent dental care

Urgent dental care is for issues that require prompt attention but are not life-threatening.

Symptoms that may need urgent care include:  

• Severe toothache: persistent and intense pain that cannot be managed with over-the-counter painkillers.
• Dental abscess: infection causing swelling, pain, and possibly fever.
• Broken or knocked-out tooth: trauma resulting in a fractured or completely dislodged tooth.
• Uncontrolled bleeding: bleeding in mouth that doesn’t stop maybe following a dental procedure or an injury.
• Swelling: significant swelling in the mouth or face that could indicate an infection.
• Fractured, loose or displaced fillings causing pain.
• Bleeding gums requiring urgent treatment for acute conditions.
• Other treatments may be available at the discretion of the dentist. These treatments may require extra visits and costs.

If you need urgent care, contact your regular NHS dentist. If you don’t have one, call NHS 111, which can direct you to an urgent dental care service in your area.

You can also phone one of the dental practices offering additional urgent appointments. You do not need to be registered with the dental practice, but you must contact them in advance:

You can also visit your local community pharmacy for advice on pain relief. 

Emergency dental care

Emergency dental care is for critical, life-threatening issues that require immediate attention.

Symptoms include:  

• Uncontrolled bleeding  
• Severe swelling affecting breathing or swallowing  
• Trauma to the face or mouth  

In these cases, visit your nearest Accident & Emergency (A&E) department or call 999 for immediate assistance.

You can find out more information about Dental Support and Treatment on our website.