Emergency dentist
What does emergency dentist involve?
Same-day emergency appointments are held open every weekday and on Saturday morning at our Bridge Road surgery, so a broken tooth, lost filling, knocked-out tooth or severe toothache is usually seen within a few hours of your call. Phone (03) 5550 4488 before 4pm for same-day triage; after-hours messages are returned first thing.
From $145 — emergency examination, including one x-ray
At a glance
- Same-day slots
- Held every weekday and Saturday morning for urgent cases
- Appointment length
- 30 to 60 minutes, set by phone triage
- From
- $145 for an emergency examination, including one x-ray
- Health funds
- Claimed on the spot through HICAPS
- After hours
- Messages triaged from 7.30am; call 000 for spreading facial swelling
What counts as a dental emergency
Pain that wakes you at night, a tooth knocked out or pushed out of line, a broken cusp with an edge that cuts your tongue, swelling in the gum or jaw, bleeding that will not settle after an extraction, or a crown that has come away and left a raw stump. All of those are worth a same-day call rather than a wait-and-see.
Swelling that is spreading towards your eye or down under your jaw, or that makes swallowing or breathing difficult, is past what a dental chair can fix. That is a hospital problem — call 000 or go straight to the nearest emergency department.
How same-day appointments work
We hold the first two slots after lunch on weekdays, and two on Saturday morning, for people who ring in that day. The front desk asks three things: where the pain is, when it started, and whether anything has broken or come loose. That is enough to decide whether you need thirty minutes or an hour, and whether you should come before or after the school run.
If every slot is gone by the time you call, we will tell you plainly rather than booking you for a week away — and we will say what will get you through the night.
Relief first, planning second
An emergency visit is about ending the pain and stabilising the tooth. In practice that means an x-ray, local anaesthetic, and then one of four things: dressing the tooth, opening it to release pressure and start root canal treatment, rebuilding the broken corner, or removing the tooth if it cannot be saved. You will leave knowing what the tooth needs long-term and what that costs, but nothing beyond the urgent work happens at that appointment.
A knocked-out adult tooth
An adult tooth that has come out whole can often be put back if it is handled well in the first hour. Hold it by the crown and never the root. If it is dirty, rinse it in milk or saline — not water, and never scrub it. Slot it back into the socket and bite gently on a clean cloth if you can; if you cannot, keep it in a cup of milk and bring it with you. Baby teeth are not re-implanted, so ring us but leave the tooth out.
Emergency dentist — common questions
- Do you see emergency patients who have never been here before?
Yes. Roughly half of our emergency appointments are people who have never sat in our chairs. You do not need a referral or a file with us — ring, describe what has happened, and if a slot is free that day it is yours. Bring a list of any medications and the name of your health fund if you have one.
- How much does an emergency dental appointment cost?
The emergency examination is $145 and includes one x-ray and a plan in writing. Treatment on the day is quoted before we start: a temporary dressing sits at the low end, while an extraction, a rebuilt tooth or the first stage of root canal treatment costs more. Nothing is done without you agreeing to the figure first.
- What can I do about severe toothache overnight?
Take the pain relief you would normally take for a headache at its usual dose, keep your head propped up rather than flat, avoid very hot and very cold drinks, and do not put an aspirin tablet against the gum — it burns the tissue. A cold pack against the cheek helps swelling. None of this treats the cause, so ring us when we open; if the swelling spreads or you feel unwell, do not wait for morning.
- My child chipped a front tooth at sport. Is that urgent?
Ring us the same day. A small chip with no pain can usually wait until the next morning, but a chip that bleeds, exposes a pink or yellow spot in the middle of the tooth, or leaves the tooth wobbly needs seeing quickly, because the nerve is involved and the window for saving it is short. Keep any broken fragment in milk and bring it in.