Emergency Dental Services

Emergency dental services provided by National Dental Centre Singapore (NDCS) are available 24 hours* a day.

*During operating hours (Monday to Thursday: 8.00am to 5.30pm, Friday: 8.00am to 5.00pm), emergency dental services are provided in the Urgent Care Clinic (UCC) located within NDCS.

*During non-operating hours (Weekdays after 5.30pm, Weekends and Public Holidays), emergency dental services are available in SGH Department of Emergency Medicine (DEM), located at Block 1, Level 2.

Dental Services Available at NDCS Urgent Care Clinic

The Urgent Care Clinic in NDCS is able to provide the full range of services to address your urgent dental needs. These conditions include toothaches, facial/ dental trauma and oral/facial infections resulting from your teeth.

Our UCC clinicians will help to investigate, diagnose and perform initial treatment for your condition. Specialist consultations, if required, may also be sought for more complex conditions. As the severity of your condition may vary, we will prioritise patients who have more emergent conditions. As such, we seek your understanding that the waiting time may vary.

Urgent Care Clinic (UCC) charges:

Subsidised: S$147 (with valid referral letter dated prior to your visit at NDCS)

Private: S$160.23

These charges only include the cost of the consultation and a periapical x-ray. Any additional investigations, tests or treatments will incur additional costs, if required.

If you require hospital admission (e.g. severe infections, facial trauma), you may be transferred to SGH DEM, where our team will continue to follow up on your condition.

Dental Services Available at the SGH Department of Emergency Medicine (DEM)

At SGH DEM, the priority is to attend to patients with serious illness and injuries. Non-critical elective dental treatment should be undertaken by your regular dentist during normal operating hours. NDCS provides coverage for urgent dental conditions that present in SGH DEM.

The dental facility at SGH DEM is equipped to handle only the initial management of conditions that require urgent care, such as:

• Severe pain
• Uncontrolled bleeding
• Facial swelling due to infection
• Traumatic injuries e.g. loosened or dislodged teeth, broken teeth or jaws, cuts to the gums or face

The treatment provided in SGH DEM aims to stabilise your condition (e.g. providing temporary relief of pain, stopping bleeding, stitching of cuts/lacerations). Definitive treatment and further investigations will usually need to be deferred to a follow up visit in NDCS the next day.

These dental services for non-critical conditions are NOT available at the DEM Dental Clinic:

• Scaling
• Fillings
• Difficult extractions
• Root canal treatment
• Removal of wisdom teeth
• Dentures
• Crowns, bridges, or implants
• Orthodontic treatment 

Emergency Department Attendance Fee:

S$140.00 (Updated as of 01 Jan 2023)

Additional Services - fees are chargeable in addition to attendance fee:

• Admission (evaluation and treatment) in emergency observation ward and inpatient ward
• Specialised laboratory investigations
• Specialised X ray investigations
• Treatment and surgical procedures

Dental Emergency Services for Children (Below 12 years old)

Dental emergency services are also available for children below the age of 12 years in NDCS during operating hours (Monday to Thursday: 8am to 5.30pm, Friday: 8am to 5pm), and will attended to by our Paediatric Dentistry Unit.

Paediatric dental emergencies include:

• Dental trauma (dislodged teeth, fractured teeth)
• Tooth infections
• Severe toothaches

During non-operating hours (Monday to Thursday after 5.30pm, Friday after 5pm, Weekends and Public Holidays), paediatric dental emergencies should be seen in KK Women's and Children Hospital Children's Emergency  instead.

What if I decide to come to the SGH DEM Dental Clinic?

After registering, a nurse will attend to you for triage, assign a priority level according to the severity of your condition, and advise you on where to wait for consultation.

An initial assessment will be done by a Medical Officer. A Dental Officer will be called in as needed for further assessment and/or to perform an emergency procedure.

Toothaches make up the bulk of dental cases seen at the SGH DEM. While every effort will be taken to relieve your pain and discomfort, definitive treatment will need to be done in the dental clinic (either in NDCS or in a private clinic of your choice).

Emergency procedures could include:

• Prescribing painkillers to reduce your pain
• Giving a local anaesthetic injection for temporary pain relief
• Putting in a medicated temporary dressing to soothe the tooth

The Dental Officer who attends to you will refer you to NDCS or a dentist in private practice for follow-up care the following day.

What can I do if I have a bad toothache outside of regular clinic hours?

A toothache is generally best treated in the setting of a dental clinic, instead of the emergency department, unless it is associated with high fever or significant facial swelling.

If your toothache is less severe, taking over-the-counter painkillers can help with the discomfort while you wait for dental clinics to open. Never put any oral painkiller against the gums near the aching tooth because it may burn the gum tissue.

Some private dental clinics also provide late night or 24-hour emergency services, and may be an alternative option to address your toothache.