Emergency Appointments at Hudson's Dental Care

If you have a genuine emergency please call first thing.  We open at 08.00 and our emergency appointments are usually held mid morning and mid afteroon. Very occasionally, if we've had a cancellation, your dentist may, at his or her discretion, be able to offer you one of these if available.  

If you are not an exisiting patient of ours and you experience an emergency we will only be able to see you if we have a gap in our appointment diary. If we can't help we will give you some other numbers to try and NHS 111 can normally help.

To qualify for an EMERGENCY appointment you should meet one or more of the following criteria:

1. You have a tooth-ache, the severity of which is so bad that it prevents sleep

2. You have facial swelling and / or pain 

3. You experience bleeding following a dental extraction

4. You have suffered a dental trauma, for example a child knocking a tooth out in a playground accident. 

A chipped tooth, a dislocated filling or pain on biting whilst uncomfortable, does NOT automatically qualify for a 'same day' appointment unless accompanied by one of the above symptoms.  We will, of course, offer you the earliest available appointment. 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT EMERGENCY APPOINTMENTS

We operate three types of appointment for patients with pain or discomfort:

'Emergency' - same day appointments booked for a specific time and used to urgently address acute problems (see above).  

'Look & See' are short, time confirmed appointments to diagnose a specific problem and plot a treatment plan for it.

'Sit & Wait' appointments are offered when we are fully booked but want to help you with a same or next day assessment of your concern.  'Sit & Wait' patients will be seen as soon as possible, however, waiting time can be up to an hour, occasionally more. Please be patient - good denstistry can't be hurried. 

By their very nature, all of these appointments are 'first aid', designed to get you out of immediate trouble / pain. In most cases you will need to come back for a more permanent solution. For example, a dentist may place a temporary filling on a broken tooth following which you'll need to return for a longer appointment so that a permanent filling may be placed.

The cost of an emergency appointment for our non-exempt NHS patients is £25.80.  A private emergency appointment costs £60 for the consultation with the treatment cost on top.

If a tooth needs a permament filling, extraction or root treating the dentist will advise you of the additional cost in advance.

OUT OF HOURS EMERGENCIES

If you suffer a dental emergency when the practice is closed (including Bank Holidays) call NHS Direct on 111

You should be able to speak to a qualified dental nurse who will give you pain relief advice and, if necessary, arrange for you to see an out-of-hours emergency dentist. 

DENPLAN PATIENTS may call either the NHS111 number or Denplan on 0800 389389 for advice and possible referral to a Denplan member dentist.  

FIRST AID - tooth ache / swelling

If you've got tooth ache it can be very distressing.  Here are a few suggestions to help you:

• If you're over sixteen you can take both paracetomol and ibubrofen at the recommended intervals BUT NEVER EXCEED the dosage instructions.  DO NOT TAKE ANY PAIN KILLER YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO AND, IF YOU'RE TAKING OTHER MEDICINES, CHECK WITH A PHARMACIST FIRST. NEVER, EVER, TAKE MORE THAN THE RECOMMENDED DOSAGES AS DOING SO CAN BE DANGEROUS TO HEALTH.

• It can help to prop your head up at night with extra pillows / cushions.  This can reduce throbbing.

• Hot salty water rinses in the affected area can soothe symptoms. A tablespoon of salt stirred into a mug of hot water should suffice.

• Clove oil is a recognised agent that relieves dental pain. If you've got some put a few drops on some cotton wool and hold against the affected tooth and gums.

• An ice -pack held against the side of your face can help with swelling. Swelling is often caused by infected roots at the base of a tooth and needs urgent attention.

• Avoid hot and cold drinks if they make the pain worse. Eat soft foods and avoid eating with the affected side of your mouth.

FIRST AID - IF YOU OR A FAMILY MEMBER KNOCKS A TOOTH OUT IN AN ACCIDENT

• Pick the tooth up by its crown DO NOT HOLD IT BY, OR TOUCH, THE ROOT

• If the tooth is not clean because it has fallen on floor and got dust or dirt on it RINSE under cold water or milk DO NOT SCRUB ANY SURFACE OR USE ANY SOAP ETC AND REMEMBER, DO NOT TOUCH THE ROOT.

• If the tooth is clean gently push it back into its socket (check it's the right way round) and bite on a cloth or clean handkerchief to hold it in position

• If you can't put the tooth back in place it in milk or keep it in your mouth between your cheeks and your gum. THE TOOTH MUST NOT BE ALLLOWED TO BECOME DRY

• CALL YOUR DENTIST IMMEDIATELY. YOU WILL BE ASKED TO COME STRAIGHT TO THE SURGERY.  

• IF WE'RE CLOSED GO TO A & E WITHOUT DELAY.  IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO 'PHONE AHEAD AND TELL THEM YOU'RE COMING.