Emergency dental care at home
Pain does not wait for a lift to the clinic. Phone us; we will tell you what to do tonight and come as soon as we can.
Advice on the phone straight away. Treatment at home as soon as we can.
For someone who cannot travel, dental pain is especially worrying — the usual advice ("go to your dentist") simply does not help. That is why we come to you.
We deal with toothache, abscesses and swelling, broken teeth, lost fillings and crowns, and broken or lost dentures, in the home or the care home. The first thing we do is answer the phone and tell you what to do in the meantime, including when a swelling needs an emergency department rather than us.
Who this is for
- Anyone in dental pain who cannot get to a clinic
- Nursing home residents whose distress may be a tooth
- A family whose parent has broken a tooth or denture before an event
- Care staff who need a plan for a resident tonight
What happens on the visit
On the phone, first
What hurts, since when, any swelling, any fever, any difficulty swallowing or opening. We tell you what to do immediately — painkillers that are safe with their medications, warm salt rinses, when to go to A&E — and how soon we can come.
Find the cause
Examination and a digital X-ray. Pain in older patients is often from a cracked tooth, a root abscess or a denture ulcer, and each needs a different fix.
Treat it on the day
An abscess is drained or the tooth removed; a broken tooth is smoothed or dressed; a lost filling is replaced; a denture is repaired or relined. Antibiotics only where they are actually needed.
Plan the rest
If a definitive treatment needs a second visit, it is booked before we leave. The family knows what to watch for overnight and who to ring.
Afterwards
We phone the next day. Swelling that spreads towards the eye or the neck, difficulty swallowing or breathing, or a high fever are emergency-department signs, and we say so clearly at the visit.
Cost and cover
Emergency treatment is covered under the DTSS for eligible medical card holders. Private emergency visits are quoted on the phone before we set out. See what a visit costs and every way it can be paid for.
Questions families ask about this
If your question is not answered here, please give us a call — it is quicker than a form.
How fast can you come?
Same working day for advice, always. For the visit, usually within a few days depending on where you are; sooner where we can. If it cannot wait — a spreading swelling, difficulty swallowing — we will tell you to go to an emergency department rather than wait for us.
What should I give my mother for the pain tonight?
It depends on her other medicines, which is why we ask before we answer. Phone us; the person who answers will go through it with you.
A resident is agitated and we think it is a tooth. What do you need from us?
Her name, medications, what the staff have noticed and since when, and consent from her next of kin if she cannot give it herself. Then a room with a chair and a plug socket.
Someone in pain now?
Phone us. We will tell you what to do tonight and arrange the visit. If it is a spreading swelling or difficulty swallowing, go to an emergency department first.