Urgent dental support available in Sussex

The NHS in Sussex is expanding access to urgent dental care appointments to improve access to urgent dental services for people without a regular dentist and vulnerable patient groups.

The programme:

• provides access to urgent dental (not emergency) care for anyone unable to access a dental appointment
• is intended for patients without access to a regular dentist and those who are struggling to get an urgent appointment with their regular dentist, and
• also offers appointments to patients from identified vulnerable groups, who require an urgent assessment of their oral health.

Patients in need of urgent dental care who do not have a regular dentist can access the service by calling the Sussex Dental Helpline on 0300 123 1663 or emailing kcht.dentalhelpdesk@nhs.net

The Helpline team has information on the availability of NHS dental services and any additional capacity being provided, including urgent care appointments and can book patients into appointment slots directly.

Please note – those with an urgent dental needs, should contact the Emergency Dental Service.  

Finding a dentist accepting NHS patients

To find a dentist accepting NHS patients in your area, you can use the NHS ‘Find a dentist’ website

Details are shown on individual dental surgeries and the services they offer. Please note that not all website listings show which dentists are currently taking on NHS patients, and you may need to contact surgeries.

or you can call the Sussex Dental Helpdesk on 0300 123 1663 (Monday – Friday 8am – 4 pm).

If when contacting surgeries, they indicate that they aren’t currently taking on NHS patients, it may be useful to ask when they might expect to.

Support with the cost of dental treatment

Some people may be able to get help with the costs of their dental treatment or be eligible for free dental treatment. This includes:

• Anyone aged 18 or under and those under 19 who are in full time education
• Pregnant women
• If you or your partner receive certain benefits such as Income Support; Jobseekers Allowance; Pension or Universal Credit
• Those named on a valid NHS tax credit exemption certificate

If you normally pay for NHS dental treatment, the amount you spend will depend on what treatment you need, you can see information on dental band charges on the NHS website.

If you are unsure, ask your dentist or visit www.nhs.uk or call 0300 330 1343.

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Please tell us your experiences of local health and care services via our Feedback Centre and let us know how this has been for you.

We want to hear if it has been good, bad or indifferent.

Help and support with Health and Care

If you need help or support related to health or care, then please contact our Information & Signposting Service via

0333 101 4007 or enquiries@healthwatcheastsussex.co.uk