Emergency Care for Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases outside Primary Health Care Service Hours, Park Hospital

Please seek emergency medical attention immediately if you experience increased swelling, redness and pain, limited opening of the mouth (less than 2 fingers wide between the front teeth), or difficulty swallowing. 

Other situations requiring emergency care include: 

• Dental trauma (detachment, displacement or accidental splitting of a permanent tooth) 
• An accident involving a primary tooth where the teeth cannot be clenched together. 
• A broken, permanently fitted orthodontic device that is causing sharp pain, and the pain cannot be alleviated by using chewing gum or orthodontic wax. Or the orthodontic device has caused bleeding which cannot be stopped by applying compression (also at night if necessary)  
• Bleeding from the mouth after a tooth extraction or other procedure which will not stop within two hours by means of instructions received from the Medical Helpline. 
• Severe pain that does not respond to pain medication.
• General symptoms associated with dental and oral diseases (e.g. fever) 
• A symptom of the jaw joint where the mouth will not open or close 
• A chipped tooth with any of the following symptoms: swelling, limited opening of the mouth, or pain medication will not alleviate the pain 
• Dentures have caused a painful pressure sore  
• A large appearance-disturbing chip in an incisor, and the problem cannot wait 

• Mild pain alleviated by pain relief medication 
• A shooting pain when exposed to hot or cold 
• A chipped tooth or filling 
• Problems with prosthetic devices or detachable orthodontic devices.