Urgent care
If you are in pain right now, the fastest thing you can do is call the clinic. This page tells you what counts as a dental emergency, what to do in the meantime, and when to go straight to a hospital instead of waiting for a dental appointment.
Go straight to hospital, not to a dental clinic, if:
Go to a hospital casualty department immediately — not a dental clinic — if there is swelling that affects your breathing or swallowing, swelling that is spreading towards the eye or down the neck, uncontrolled bleeding, or a facial injury involving possible fractures. Nirmala Hospital is directly opposite the clinic.
Mon–Sat 9:30 am – 7:00 pm · Sunday closed
Find your situation below. These are first-aid measures to stabilise things until you are seen — they are not a substitute for treatment.
Time matters more than anything else here. Hold the tooth by the crown, never the root. If it is dirty, rinse it briefly in milk or saline — not tap water, and do not scrub it. If you can, place it back into the socket and bite gently on a clean cloth. If you cannot, keep it in milk and get to a dentist immediately. Do not let it dry out.
Swelling from a dental infection is the one that should never wait. If it is spreading, affecting your eye, or making swallowing or breathing difficult, go to hospital casualty now rather than waiting for a dental appointment.
Pain that keeps you awake or does not respond to ordinary painkillers needs to be seen. Take your usual painkiller as directed on the packet, keep your head elevated when lying down, and call the clinic when it opens.
Keep any fragments in milk or saline. Rinse gently with warm salt water. If a sharp edge is cutting your tongue or cheek, orthodontic wax or sugar-free gum over the edge helps until you are seen.
Bite firmly on clean rolled gauze for twenty minutes without checking it repeatedly. If bleeding continues heavily beyond that, contact the clinic or go to casualty.
Uncomfortable but rarely a true emergency. Keep the crown, avoid chewing on that side, and call for the next available appointment.
This page describes a dental procedure in general terms. It is not a diagnosis and not a treatment plan, and outcomes vary from person to person. What is right for you is decided after a clinical examination at the clinic. See our terms and medical disclaimer.
These still deserve an appointment, but they will usually wait for normal clinic hours. Booking early is better than waiting for them to become urgent.
Call the clinic and explain what has happened. Where someone is in genuine pain, we will do what we can to fit them in during clinic hours. Outside those hours, please use a hospital casualty department.
The current opening hours are shown near the top of this page. Outside them, a dental emergency should go to a hospital casualty department.
Go to hospital for anything affecting breathing or swallowing, spreading facial swelling, uncontrolled bleeding, or facial trauma. A dentist is the right place for toothache, a knocked-out or broken tooth, a lost filling, or a dental abscess that is not spreading.
Antibiotics do not resolve the underlying cause of most dental pain, and should never be taken without a prescription. The source of the infection has to be treated.
Carmel Dental Clinic