In pain? We'll help you fast.
Dental pain or an injury can be frightening. We keep emergency time available each day so you can get answers and appropriate care quickly. Call us and we'll talk you through what to do.
East St Kilda Dental provides urgent dental appointments for toothache, swelling, broken or knocked-out teeth, lost fillings or crowns and dental trauma. We keep emergency appointments available Monday to Saturday and offer same-day care where possible at 364 Dandenong Rd, St Kilda East.
| What you're experiencing | What to do |
|---|---|
| Mild sensitivity or a small chip without pain | Book an assessment |
| Persistent toothache, pain when biting, or a lost filling or crown | Contact a dentist promptly |
| Severe pain, facial or gum swelling, or a knocked-out adult tooth | Seek urgent dental care |
| Trouble breathing or swallowing, uncontrolled bleeding, or a major facial injury | Call 000 or go to a hospital emergency department |
Not sure how urgent your symptoms are? Call us on (03) 9527 3678, or see our dental symptoms & urgency guide.
Not sure? Call us anyway on (03) 9527 3678 and we'll help you work out what's needed.
If an adult tooth is knocked out, act immediately. Hold it by the crown, not the root. If dirty, gently rinse it in milk or saline — don't scrub it. If possible, place it back into the socket. Otherwise keep it in milk and see a dentist as quickly as possible, ideally within 30 minutes.
Rinse with warm, salty water and take your usual pain relief. Avoid very hot, cold or sweet food. Then call us. A toothache that keeps coming back can mean the nerve is inflamed or infected, which may need root canal treatment.
Save any pieces, rinse your mouth with warm water, and press clean gauze on any bleeding. Call us to be seen. Depending on the damage, a broken tooth may be repaired with a filling or protected with a crown.
Swelling of the gum, jaw or face can be a sign of infection. Call us the same day so we can act quickly. If swelling is affecting breathing or swallowing, spreading towards the eye or neck, or you feel seriously unwell, call 000 or seek emergency medical care.
Keep the crown if you have it, and avoid chewing on that side. Call us and we'll check whether it can be re-secured or needs replacing. Our crowns & bridges page explains the options.
Do not put a baby tooth back in. Keep your child calm, bring the tooth with you, and call us for advice.
Call 000 or go to your nearest hospital emergency department straight away if you have:
Your dentist will first assess the source of the pain or problem. This may include examining the tooth and surrounding tissues and taking an X-ray where needed. The immediate priority is to relieve pain, control infection or stabilise the tooth. We'll explain the diagnosis, treatment options and costs before proceeding.
An examination of the tooth and surrounding tissues, with an X-ray where needed.
Easing the pain, controlling infection or stabilising the tooth comes first.
Your diagnosis, treatment options and costs, before anything goes ahead.
See our fees guide for how treatment is priced, or read how we look after nervous patients.
We keep time aside each day for emergencies, and our first job is simply to get you out of pain. If you're nervous about emergency treatment, that's completely fine. Looking after anxious patients is one of the things we're known for, and we'll go gently.
You'll get a clear written estimate before any treatment, and we have payment options if you need them. If it's outside our hours and serious, please use the hospital guidance above.
A dental emergency is a problem that needs prompt care to relieve severe pain, control infection or bleeding, or save a tooth. Common examples are severe or persistent toothache, facial or gum swelling, a knocked-out or broken adult tooth, a lost filling or crown causing pain, and injuries to the mouth. If swelling affects your breathing or swallowing, call 000.
Often, yes. We keep emergency appointments available Monday to Saturday and offer same-day care where possible. Call us as early in the day as you can on (03) 9527 3678 and describe your symptoms, so the team can work out how urgently you need to be seen and find the soonest suitable time.
Most dental emergencies, such as toothache, a broken tooth or a lost crown, are best treated by a dentist. Call 000 or go to a hospital emergency department if you have trouble breathing or swallowing, bleeding that won't stop, a major facial injury, or swelling spreading towards your eye or neck, or if you feel seriously unwell.
Your dentist will find the source of the problem by examining the tooth and surrounding tissues, with an X-ray where needed. The first priority is to relieve pain, control infection or stabilise the tooth. We'll explain what we found, your treatment options and the costs before anything goes ahead, and plan any follow-up care with you.
Sometimes. If removing the tooth is the most appropriate treatment and it can be done safely, it may be possible at the same appointment. In other cases your dentist may first relieve the pain or treat infection, then remove or save the tooth at a follow-up visit. Where a tooth can be saved, we'll explain that option too.
Call us the same day. Facial swelling from a tooth is often a sign of infection that needs prompt treatment. If the swelling is affecting your breathing or swallowing, spreading towards your eye or neck, or you feel seriously unwell, call 000 or go to a hospital emergency department straight away rather than waiting for a dental appointment.
Act immediately. Hold the tooth by the crown, not the root, and don't scrub it. If it's dirty, rinse it gently in milk or saline. If you can, put it back in the socket and bite gently on a clean cloth. Otherwise keep it in milk and see a dentist as quickly as possible, ideally within 30 minutes.
Yes. We're open on Saturdays from 9am to 4pm and keep emergency appointments available, with same-day care where possible. Call us in the morning on (03) 9527 3678 to find the soonest time. If a serious problem happens outside our opening hours, such as swelling affecting your breathing, call 000 or go to a hospital emergency department.
Yes, if your extras cover includes dental. We can process eligible claims on the spot through HICAPS, so you pay only the gap on the day. Your rebate depends on your fund, policy and level of cover, including any waiting periods or annual limits, so it's worth checking with your fund if you're unsure.
The cost depends on what's needed: the emergency examination, any X-rays, and the treatment itself, which can range from a temporary filling to root canal treatment or an extraction. We'll tell you the cost of the emergency exam up front and give you an estimate before any treatment goes ahead. Payment options are available.
Absolutely. Gentle care for anxious patients is one of the things we're known for. Tell us you're nervous when you call, and we'll explain each step before we do it, agree a stop signal, and keep you calm and in control, with happy gas available if it helps. Read more about our care for nervous patients.
If it's serious — trouble breathing or swallowing, heavy bleeding, a facial injury or spreading swelling — call 000 or go to a hospital emergency department. Otherwise, follow the first-aid steps on this page for your symptom, then call us when we open and we'll fit you in as soon as we can.
Learn about payment options and eligible compassionate-release pathways for essential treatment.
Emergency dental care for St Kilda East, St Kilda, Balaclava, Caulfield, Elwood, Elsternwick, Windsor and surrounding inner south-east Melbourne. View all areas we serve →
This page is general information and cannot replace an individual dental examination or diagnosis.
Call us now for same-day emergency care. Pain relief, fast.
Caring for families on the corner of Dandenong Road since 1980, across Melbourne's inner south-east.