A dental emergency is when an accident or something leads to pain and discomfort surrounding our mouth and teeth. This could be a range of things from accidents leading to teeth being chipped, cracked or loose in the mouth, existing work like crowns, veneers and fillings loose or chipped, trauma from a sporting injury or fall, and at worse, swelling and pain in a general area of the mouth.
It is important that no matter what type of discomfort, or lack of discomfort from an accident with your teeth, that you come and see our emergency dentist at Hornsby Dental to help you in your dental emergency. With early notice and management, some of these emergencies can be handled quickly and stopped before more pain and discomfort can occur.
At Hornsby Dental we understand having a toothache, tooth trauma, chipped, broken or cracked tooth can cause a lot of pain and discomfort. We have emergency appointments available and will do our best to fit you in on the same day.
To make a same day emergency dentist appointment with us at Hornsby Dental please call us on (02) 8090 1100. If we are unable to get your call please leave a detailed message and we will call you as soon as possible. Online booking where you can control when you see us is also available.
Our emergency appointments may be short if we are able to squeeze you, however our main concern is to remove you out of pain and if required to rebook you in for a proper treatment. Some tips on assisting you on dental emergencies are listed below to provide you some help and insight on certain situations.
Hornsby Dental is at Suite 21/14 Edgeworth David Avenue, about three minutes’ walk from Hornsby station, with free street parking nearby. We open six days a week:
Call (02) 8090 1100 as early as you can, ideally before 10am, and we’ll do our best to see you the same day. You can also book online. We see emergency patients from across the area, including Waitara, Asquith, Wahroonga, Normanhurst, Thornleigh and Mount Colah.
The cost depends on what your tooth needs. Your dentist will examine it, usually take an x-ray, and explain your options and fees before any treatment starts. As a guide, from our price list:
We claim on the spot with HICAPS, so if you have extras cover you only pay the gap. Hornsby Dental is a Bupa Members First, Medibank Members’ Choice, NIB First Choice and Westfund Provider of Choice practice. See our health fund page. Interest-free payment plans are available for larger treatment, subject to approval.
Read more: chipped or broken tooth: what to do and Saturday emergency dentist in Hornsby.
Young children are constantly exploring the world and therefore with all the walking, crawling, running and school sports they can hurt themselves by accident. It is important to see us immediately if there has been trauma to their teeth for us to assess and control the possible damage.
If the baby tooth has fallen out from an accident:
It is important that we see your child regularly for 6 monthly examinations to monitor this area now and make sure that the adult teeth underneath are not affected.
If the child has a toothache:
If the child has facial swelling or a fever, then please go to the hospital to seek immediate medical emergency care. This is especially important if the child is fatigued, tired and cannot open their mouth as the swelling can block their airway.
Constant, throbbing ache and sensitivity to temperature is not a pleasant experience. There could be many different factors that lead to this situation.
From cracking or fracturing your tooth on food, to a large dental decay or even an erupting wisdom tooth. The toothache can be lingering there for some time, it is best to see an emergency dentist in Hornsby straight away so they can treat the problem straight. If you’re unable to get an appointment right away, take paracetamol to just some relief or ibuprofen if your gums are swollen.
If you are experiencing a toothache this please book in and see us for an assessment. Over the counter pain relief medication such as Ibuprofen or Paracetamol can be taken to help with the pain before your appointment. We do advise to not take them a couple of hours before seeing us for a more accurate diagnosis.
If the tooth ache is paired with a fever, tiredness, and swelling then we advise that you seek immediate emergency care at the hospital. These severe symptoms linked to tooth aches are very dangerous and require immediate emergency care.
Tooth trauma could be a result of a sporting incident or an accident where a tooth may become loose or knocked out. Being able to see the emergency dentist straight away is very critical and urgent to be able to save the tooth.
Please call Hornsby Dental on (02) 8090 1100 to book in an emergency dental care appointment where we will try to book you into a same day appointment and even provide some guidance on immediate action. Therefore, acting immediately from the patient is also very important for a good chance of the tooth to survive.
For a loose adult tooth if possible to reposition the tooth into position and stabilise it, the chance for the dentist to save and splint it will be higher. As for a baby tooth if it does become very loose the dentist will often remove it, however it is also dependent on each case.
Procedure for a knocked out tooth could be frightening and scary, but there is still a good chance of saving it. Holding onto the top part of the tooth, the crown. Rinse the tooth underwater for 10 sec and make sure you do not scrub or wipe the root and place it back into the socket. If you can not place it back into the tooth socket, store the knocked tooth in milk or saliva to bring to your dental appointment. If both of these options are unobtainable, wrap the knocked tooth in a moist paper towel, but do not store it in plain water. The sooner we are able to replant the tooth the better chance the tooth will survive. We recommend the duration of 30 mins to 1 hour has the highest rate of survival.
If your tooth has happened to fall out due to a knock, an injury or a sporting injury, the following instructions are:
In chipped or cracked teeth, please contact us for an appointment for us to assess the area immediately. Depending on the size of the chip or crack, the tooth can sometimes be sound and just needs us to help with the aesthetic, especially if it is in your smile! But in some cases, root canal treatment may be needed if the crack or chip is larger.
Please come in and see us immediately. We understand that it can be very upsetting when a crown, veneer or filling breaks or falls out.
For crowns and veneers, please bring the piece with you for us to assess how much of it is left or if it is the whole crown or veneer. If it is whole, sometimes we can help you immediately by cleaning the area and bonding it back to the tooth.
In more severe cases where more has chipped or cracked then a temporary fix can be placed before we plan the next course of action.
For fillings, we understand that sometimes there won’t be a whole piece left to bring in. Feel free to come in for us to assess and discuss what is the best course of action following this.
In the emergencies of jaw pain or suspected broken jaw, please see your medical emergency provider immediately for treatment and help. This could be your general practitioner (family doctor) or the emergency ward in your local hospital.
Access our detailed price guide to understand the investment in your dental care options.
Yes. We keep same-day emergency appointments six days a week. Call (02) 8090 1100, ideally before 10am, and we’ll fit you in as soon as possible.
Pick the tooth up by the crown (the white part), not the root. If it’s dirty, rinse it briefly in milk. If you can, gently place it back in the socket and bite on a clean cloth; otherwise keep it in milk. Call us straight away – the sooner the tooth is seen, the better the chance of saving it.
If we’re closed, call healthdirect on 1800 022 222 for advice, then call us when we open. Go to your nearest hospital emergency department, or call 000, if you have facial swelling that is spreading, difficulty breathing or swallowing, uncontrolled bleeding or a serious facial injury.
It depends on what’s needed – we’ll explain your options and costs before starting treatment. As a guide, extractions are $200–$600 and root canal treatment is $800–$2,500. See our price list. Health fund claims are processed on the spot with HICAPS.
Severe toothache, a knocked-out or loose tooth, a cracked or broken tooth, swelling of the face or gums, a lost crown or filling, or bleeding that won’t stop.
Yes. Hornsby Dental is open Saturday 8:30am to 4pm. Call (02) 8090 1100 early in the day and we will do our best to see you the same day.
If you have extras cover, we claim on the spot with HICAPS so you only pay the gap. How much your fund pays depends on your level of cover and remaining limits.
There is free street parking near our practice at Suite 21/14 Edgeworth David Avenue, and we are about three minutes walk from Hornsby station.
