Pain that cannot wait
Call the practice: urgent situations are assessed over the phone and seen as soon as possible during opening hours.
Outside opening hours
The practice is open Sunday to Thursday, 09:00 to 18:30, and closed on Friday and Saturday. In a life-threatening emergency, after major trauma, or if swelling interferes with breathing or swallowing, contact the emergency services immediately.
- Sunday – Thursday
- 09:00 – 18:30
- Friday
- Closed
- Saturday
- Closed
Situations to deal with quickly
Severe toothache
Violent, throbbing pain, often worse at night or with heat, usually signals nerve involvement. Prompt treatment brings lasting relief.
Abscess and swelling
Swelling of the cheek or gum, with or without fever, is an infection that is spreading. Do not wait for it to "go away on its own".
Broken or cracked tooth
A lost fragment exposes dentine, sometimes the nerve. Keep the piece and call: a quick rebuild often avoids a crown.
Knocked-out tooth
Pick the tooth up by the crown, never the root, keep it in milk or saliva and come immediately. Every minute counts.
Loose crown or bridge
Keep the piece and do not try to glue it back yourself. Re-cementing at the practice is straightforward if done quickly.
Bleeding that will not stop
After an extraction, bleeding that does not respond to twenty minutes of pressure warrants a call to the practice.
While you wait for your appointment
Do
- Rinse with lukewarm, slightly salted water
- Apply cold to the outside of the cheek
- Take the painkiller you normally tolerate
- Sleep with your head raised
- Keep any fragment of tooth or prosthesis
Avoid
- Placing aspirin directly on the gum
- Applying heat to the cheek
- Lancing an abscess yourself
- Chewing on the painful side
- Waiting days for an infection to subside
Don't sit with the pain
One call is enough to assess the situation and point you in the right direction.