Frequently Asked Questions
Will I see a dentist straight away?
Whether you call your dentist or NHS 24 you are likely to be asked some questions to assess how soon you need to be seen. Following this stage, a clinician will decide on the most appropriate action and will triage your request.
In the most severe cases, dental emergencies can be life-threatening and will be treated with immediate care in the same way as other medical emergencies.
During office hours, a dentist will try to see urgent and priority matters as soon as possible. It may not be with the clinician you usually visit (or even at your usual dental surgery). If you phone late in the day or the surgery is busy, you may have to be given an appointment during the evening or the next day. Outside office hours, you may be asked to go to the Montfield Dental Clinic in Lerwick to be seen by the on-call dentist.
Low priority matters will be seen at the earliest opportunity. This may involve waiting for an appropriate appointment to arise.
In all cases, the dentist will aim to get you out of pain and the issue resolved to an acceptable level. This might involve a temporary treatment that requires future permanent work during regular appointments or removing a tooth when in a non-urgent situation it might have been possible to repair the damage. This is why we recommend you see your dentist regularly to maintain good oral health.
I’m not registered with a dentist / I’m visiting Shetland. What should I do?
If you are not registered as a patient, you can get occasional treatment on the NHS. But you won't get the full range of NHS treatments.
For example, you might get occasional treatment if you're on holiday or away from home for another reason.
During office hours call Montfield Dental Clinic on 01595 743200 for initial assistance. Outside office hours, call NHS 24 on 111.
Is emergency dental work free?
Standard NHS charges apply.
What is NHS 24?
NHS 24 is an NHS service providing urgent health advice when your dentist or doctor is closed.