Emergency Dental Care

A dental emergency is stressful, and the sooner it’s seen the more options you usually have. If you’re in pain, have broken a tooth or have swelling, call Cairns Dental Boutique on (07) 4032 3236. We’ll fit you in as quickly as we can at our Edge Hill practice.

Emergency appointments: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Call first so we can be ready for you.

Dental emergencies we treat

• Severe toothache. Often a sign of deep decay or an infected nerve, which may need a filling, root canal treatment or an extraction.
• Broken, chipped or cracked teeth. From a small chip to a tooth that has split. We’ll repair it with a filling or crown where we can.
• Knocked-out teeth. Time matters most here. See the first aid steps below.
• Abscesses and facial swelling. Infections need prompt attention and shouldn’t be left to settle on their own.
• Lost or broken fillings and crowns. We’ll protect the tooth and restore it.
• Wisdom tooth pain. Including infection around a partly erupted tooth, and extractions when needed.
• Bleeding or painful gums. Including bleeding that won’t stop after an extraction.

What to do before you get to us

Knocked-out adult tooth

1. Pick the tooth up by the crown (the white part), not the root.
2. If it’s dirty, rinse it briefly in milk. Don’t scrub it.
3. If you can, push it gently back into the socket and bite on a clean cloth to hold it in place.
4. If it won’t go back in, keep it in a small container of milk.
5. Call us straight away. The best chance of saving the tooth is getting it seen within the first hour.

Baby teeth should not be put back in. Keep the tooth and bring your child in to be checked. Our children’s dental care page has more on looking after young teeth.

Broken or chipped tooth

Rinse your mouth with warm water and keep any pieces you can find. A cold compress on the outside of your cheek helps with swelling. Avoid chewing on that side until we’ve seen it.

Toothache or swelling

Rinse with warm salty water and use over-the-counter pain relief as directed on the pack. Don’t put aspirin directly on the gum, as it can burn the tissue.

When to go to hospital instead

Some situations need hospital care rather than a dentist. Call 000 or go to the Cairns Hospital emergency department if you have:

• Swelling that’s spreading to your eye, neck or under your tongue
• Difficulty breathing or swallowing
• A high fever with facial swelling
• A serious injury to your face or jaw
• Bleeding you can’t stop with firm pressure

Dental emergencies after hours

We’re not a 24-hour clinic. Outside our opening hours you can call 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) for advice from a registered nurse, 24 hours a day. For anything on the hospital list above, call 000. For pain that can wait until morning, call us when we open and we’ll fit you in as soon as we can.

What happens at your emergency appointment

Our first priority is getting you out of pain. We’ll examine the tooth and take the images we need, including CBCT 3D imaging where it helps us see the problem clearly. Then we’ll explain what’s going on and your options before we start.

Sometimes the problem can be fixed in one visit. Other times we’ll relieve the pain and stabilise the tooth first, then book you back for the final treatment. If you’re anxious, ask us about nitrous oxide sedation.

Emergency dental FAQs

Can I get a same-day emergency appointment?

Call us as early in the day as you can. We’ll do our best to see you that day, and we’ll tell you on the phone what to do in the meantime.

How much does an emergency dental appointment cost?

It depends on what treatment you need. We’ll explain the costs before we start anything beyond the examination. If you have extras cover, your fund may pay part of the cost, and Zip Pay and Afterpay are available.

Is a broken tooth an emergency?

If it’s painful, has a sharp edge cutting your tongue or cheek, or a large piece has broken off, get it seen as soon as possible. A small painless chip can usually wait for a regular appointment. Our article Is having a broken tooth a dental emergency? covers this in more detail.

Should I go to the hospital or the dentist for toothache?

For toothache on its own, a dentist is the right place, because hospital emergency departments generally can’t treat the tooth itself. Go to hospital if you have spreading swelling, a fever or trouble breathing or swallowing.

For more answers, read our guide to the most common questions about dental emergencies, or the busy parent’s dental emergency guide.

Call us now

If you have a dental emergency during our opening hours, call (07) 4032 3236. We’re at 4/1 Pyne St, Edge Hill, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.