Dentist
Urgent Care
If you have a dental problem that has not improved with painkillers, a dental infection or a lump, swelling or ulcer that has not disappeared after 2 weeks, you are advised to phone your dental practice.
If you do not regularly attend a dental practice, please contact the Dental Helpline on 01633 744387, which is open Monday – Friday, 9:00am-12:15pm and 1:15pm-4:00pm. Patients should be advised that if they call the Dental Helpline for urgent dental care in the evenings (6.30pm-8am), they will receive advice only as there are no dental appointments available at this time. During weekends and Bank Holidays, patients can also contact the Dental Helpline, where a limited number of urgent appointments are available at Clytha Clinic, Newport and/or advice can be obtained.
Patients can also go to their local community pharmacy to ask about pain relief and advice on over the counter medication.
Dental Access Portal
If you wish to access routine NHS dental treatment and do not regularly attend an NHS dental practice, please email the Dental Helpline ABB.Dental.Helpline@wales.nhs.uk where a list of practices within the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area can be shared with you. Alternatively, if you require urgent dental treatment, please contact the Dental Helpline on 01633 744387.
From early Winter 2024, if you have not received routine NHS dental treatment in the last four years from an NHS dental practice and wish to, you will be able to register your details on the Dental Access Portal.
The Dental Access Portal will provide a central platform for Health Boards to allocate places for routine dental treatment at NHS dental practices, making access simpler and fairer for everyone.
The Dental Access Portal will be live in Aneurin Bevan University Health Board from early Winter 2024 (date to be announced soon).
To be eligible to register your details on the Dental Access Portal, you must:
- Be aged 16 or over (parents/guardians can apply for under 16s)
- Not have received routine NHS dental treatment in the last four years
- Live at an address in Wales for more than six months of the year or attend a Welsh GP practice
Further information on how to access the Dental Access Portal will be issued over the coming weeks.
NHS General Dental Services
Since 1st April 2023, dental practices have had the option to deliver services in a slightly different way to how they were prior to the covid pandemic, via the contract reform programme. When you go to your next dental appointment, you can ask which contract the practice is following.
Listed below are the changes that patients will notice if the dental practice has chosen the new dental contract reform:
- Once a year a patient will have a dental risk assessment carried out as part of a check-up. This is called an ACORN and you will be told if the score is Green, Amber or Red. The dental team will discuss the findings with you and explain how you can improve or maintain your oral health. The score of your ACORN will also help determine when you should be seen again by a member of the dental team.
Sometimes your ACORN score can change and the time between check-ups may be longer or shorter. The dental team will advise on this. By supporting dentists to determine your recall interval, it enables you to receive care appropriately, based on your individual needs
- Accept a proportion of new patients
- Accept a proportion of new urgent patients
- Maintain their historical patient base
- Apply Fluoride Varnish to at least 80% of all children/adult patients with risk of or active decay
If you have been seen by a dental practice for a routine course of treatment in the previous 4 years and they are operating under contract reform, then the practice is able to continue seeing you as a patient or if you have an urgent dental problem.
NHS Orthodontic Services
The Welsh Government has written to all NHS orthodontic practices to let them know what types of patients they can provide orthodontic care.
Before COVID19 pandemic, patients were assessed for orthodontic care using an Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need. if the score was 3.6 or above then NHS orthodontic care could be provided. This is still the case, but Orthodontic practices now have to prioritise those patients with a score of 4 or more and includes anyone on a waiting list.
Orthodontic practices are working hard to assess patients that require orthodontic treatment and commence treatment. The Orthodontic practice will make contact with patients referred in due course when they are able to offer an appointment.