Dental emergencies never happen at a convenient time. It’s always late on a Friday, or during a bank holiday weekend, or right before an important event. We get it – and we want you to know that if something goes wrong with your teeth, we’re here to help.
At Docklands Dental in Dublin 2, we keep emergency appointment slots available every working day for exactly these situations. If you’re in pain or have had an accident involving your teeth, give us a call and we’ll do everything we can to see you as quickly as possible.
By Dr Gregg Barry, BDS (UCC), Docklands Dental, Dublin 2. Updated 6 October 2026.
What Counts as a Dental Emergency?
Not every dental problem needs immediate attention, but some things really can’t wait. Here are the situations where you should contact us straight away:
- Severe toothache that isn’t responding to painkillers
- A knocked-out tooth – time is critical here (more on this below)
- A broken or cracked tooth – especially if there’s pain or sharp edges cutting your tongue or cheek
- A dental abscess – swelling in your face or gums, sometimes with a bad taste or fever
- A lost filling or crown – leaving the tooth exposed and vulnerable
- Bleeding that won’t stop after an extraction or injury
- Trauma to the mouth from a sports injury, fall, or accident
If you’re unsure whether your situation is an emergency, call us anyway. We’d always rather hear from you and advise over the phone than have you sitting at home worrying.
Knocked-Out Tooth – What to Do Right Now
In a study of 400 replanted adult front teeth, putting the tooth straight back in was recommended whatever the stage of root development, and storage in tap water for more than 20 minutes usually led to root resorption (Andreasen et al., 1995).
This is the one where every minute matters. If an adult tooth has been completely knocked out, there’s a real chance we can save it – but only if you act fast. Here’s what to do:
- Find the tooth and pick it up by the crown (the white part). Don’t touch the root.
- If it’s dirty, rinse it very gently with milk or saline. Don’t scrub it or use tap water.
- Try to put it back in the socket if you can. Bite down gently on a clean cloth to hold it in place.
- If you can’t replant it, keep it in milk or hold it inside your cheek (between your cheek and gum).
- Get to a dentist straight away. The sooner the tooth is back in its socket, the better the chance of saving it.
We know this sounds stressful, but staying calm and following these steps gives you the best possible outcome. Call us on the way and we’ll have everything ready for you when you arrive.
Why milk rather than water? A 2020 systematic review of 33 studies found that saline and tap water did worse than milk for storing a knocked-out tooth, although the certainty of that evidence was low to very low (De Brier et al., 2020). The international trauma guidelines describe a knocked-out adult tooth as one of the most serious dental injuries, where prompt and correct first aid matters (Fouad et al., 2020).
One exception: do not put a knocked-out baby tooth back in. The same guidelines manage injuries to baby teeth very differently (Day et al., 2020). Call us and we’ll advise you.
What Should You Do About a Broken Tooth?
A broken tooth can range from a minor chip (annoying but not urgent) to a serious fracture that exposes the nerve (very painful and needs immediate attention). Here’s what to do:
- Rinse your mouth gently with warm water
- If there’s bleeding, apply gentle pressure with a clean gauze or cloth
- Use a cold compress on the outside of your cheek to reduce swelling
- Save any broken pieces if you can find them
- Take over-the-counter painkillers if needed (ibuprofen is usually best for dental pain)
- Avoid biting on that side
A small chip with no pain can usually wait for a normal appointment. Our guide to chipped teeth explains the different types of chip and how each one is repaired, and our article on cracked or broken teeth covers what happens next with a bigger break.
Depending on the severity, we can often repair a broken tooth in a single visit using cosmetic bonding or our same-day digital dentistry to create a crown right here in the clinic. No waiting, no temporary – just a fixed tooth.
Toothache That Won’t Go Away
A persistent, throbbing toothache usually means something is going on inside the tooth – often an infection or inflammation of the nerve. It’s your tooth’s way of telling you it needs help.
While you’re waiting to see us:
- Take ibuprofen (if you can) – it’s an anti-inflammatory and works well for dental pain
- Avoid very hot or cold food and drinks
- Don’t put aspirin directly on the gum (we’ve seen this – it causes a chemical burn)
- A saltwater rinse can help temporarily
The sooner we can take a look, the more options we’ll have. A tooth that’s caught early might just need a filling. Left too long, it might need a root canal – or worse, an extraction. Don’t put it off.
Dental Abscess
An abscess is an infection, and it needs professional treatment. You might notice swelling in your gum (sometimes it looks like a small pimple), swelling in your face, a bad taste in your mouth, or a throbbing pain that radiates to your jaw or ear.
An abscess won’t go away on its own, and in rare cases, the infection can spread – which is why we treat these urgently. If you have facial swelling that’s affecting your breathing or swallowing, or if you have a high fever, go straight to A&E.
For everything else, call us. We’ll get you in quickly, manage the infection, and plan the treatment to sort the underlying cause.
Lost Filling or Crown
A filling or crown falling out isn’t usually a medical emergency, but it does leave your tooth unprotected and can be quite uncomfortable – especially with hot or cold food and drinks.
If a crown comes off, try to keep it safe and bring it with you. Sometimes we can re-cement it. If not, we can make you a new one – often on the same day with our digital milling technology.
In the meantime, you can use temporary dental cement (available from most pharmacies) or even sugar-free chewing gum to protect the tooth. Avoid chewing on that side.
Wisdom Tooth Pain
Wisdom teeth can cause trouble when they’re coming through – especially if there isn’t enough room for them. You might experience pain at the back of your jaw, swelling, difficulty opening your mouth, or an unpleasant taste from a partially erupted tooth that’s trapping food and bacteria.
Warm saltwater rinses and painkillers can help manage the discomfort until we can see you. We’ll assess whether the tooth needs to come out or whether the situation can be managed conservatively. If it does need to come out, we arrange the referral: wisdom tooth removal is carried out at ISCD by specialist oral surgeon Dr Marie O’Neill.
When to Go to A&E Instead
Most dental emergencies are best handled by a dentist, not a hospital. A&E departments generally can’t do dental treatments. However, you should go to A&E if:
- You have significant facial swelling that’s affecting your breathing or ability to swallow
- You’ve had a serious facial injury (jaw fracture, multiple knocked-out teeth)
- You have uncontrolled bleeding that won’t stop with pressure
- You have a high fever along with dental swelling
For everything else, we’re your best bet. We have the tools, the training, and the technology to handle dental emergencies properly.
How Much Does an Emergency Dental Appointment Cost in Dublin 2?
An emergency appointment at Docklands Dental in Dublin 2 is €110. If an X-ray is clinically necessary, a small X-ray is €30 and a full-mouth OPG X-ray is €60. These are our own fees, taken from our price list.
Any treatment you need is priced separately, and we’ll talk you through the cost before anything starts. For the problems we see most often in an emergency, our fees are:
- Temporary filling: €95
- Re-cementing a crown that has come off: €250
- Emergency pulpotomy (opening the tooth to settle an inflamed nerve): €250
Every other fee is on our price list, so you can check a figure before you call.
How to Reach Us in an Emergency
If you’re experiencing a dental emergency in Dublin, call Docklands Dental on 01 636 0192. We’re at 1 Forbes Street, Grand Canal Dock, Dublin 2, D02 FN53 (here are directions and parking), and we keep emergency slots available every working day.
We are open Monday to Thursday, 7.30am to 8.30pm, and Friday, 7.30am to 5pm. We are closed on Saturday and Sunday, and we are not a 24-hour service. If any of the A&E situations above apply, go to A&E at any hour rather than waiting for us to open.
When you call, let us know what’s happened and we’ll advise you on what to do straight away and get you booked in as quickly as possible. If it’s outside hours, our voicemail will guide you on what to do next.
Dental emergencies are stressful, but you don’t have to deal with them alone. We’re here to help – and we promise, the sooner you come in, the easier it is to fix.
Dental emergency? Call 01 636 0192 first so we can see you as quickly as possible, or book an appointment online for anything that can wait.
