We understand that emergencies can happen at any time, which is why we provide emergency appointments as quickly as possible, usually the same day. If you have a dental emergency during normal surgery hours, please contact the practice for advice on 01243 783729.
If your emergency occurs out of practice opening hours, please call 01243 783729 and press option 2, which will divert your call to the on-call dentist from the practice.
There is a £120 call-out fee for private patients and £20 for Denplan patients. Children under 18 years would be seen at no charge under the NHS.
What to do in an emergency?
- Toothache – take painkillers regularly to help relieve the pain. You can use paracetamol or ibuprofen, but please remember to follow the instructions on the packet.
- Lost filling – insert a temporary shop-bought dental filling material into the cavity or use sugar-free chewing gum.
- Lost crown – if the crown is still intact, you can use an over-the-counter dental cement or sugar-free gum to stick it in place, but please don’t use superglue. If your crown is broken, keep all the pieces and cover the cavity in the same way as a lost filling.
- Chipped tooth – keep any small pieces and rinse your mouth with warm water. A cold compress will help reduce any swelling, and you can apply a piece of gauze to stop any bleeding.
- Knocked out tooth – we will be much more likely to save the tooth if you see us quickly, so call us as soon as you can. Hold the tooth carefully by the crown (the part that would normally be visible in your mouth) and rinse gently with water, being careful not to scrub or remove any little bits of tissue. Try to put the tooth back in position, making sure it is the right way round. If this is not possible, then place it in some milk (or water containing a pinch of salt).
- Lost baby tooth – this is not normally considered an emergency unless the gum is damaged or parts of the tooth are still embedded. Child-friendly painkillers can be given and while ice lollies may help relieve pain and swelling. Never try to re-implant a baby tooth as it could damage the new adult tooth in the gum.
- An abscess – rinse your mouth with warm, salty water and apply a cold compress to ease any swelling. If you experience intense pain and swelling, accompanied by flu-like symptoms, you should go to your nearest A&E department.
Not registered with Chichester Dental Practice?
It doesn’t matter if you are registered with another dentist – please give us a call on 01243 783729 and we would be happy to see you.
