Emergency Dental Services

Twenty-four hour emergency dental services are available at the SGH Department of Emergency Medicine, located at Block 1, Level 2.

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

Most dental conditions are not life-threatening. The dental facility at the DEM is equipped to handle only 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

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 

What can I do if I have a bad toothache outside of regular clinic hours?
If your toothache is less severe, taking over-the-counter painkillers could 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.

You can also seek treatment at private dental clinics that provide 24-hour emergency services.

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. Every effort will be taken to relieve your pain and discomfort. Emergency procedures could include:

Giving a local anaesthetic injection and/or prescribing painkillers for temporary pain relief

Putting in a medicated temporary dressing to soothe the tooth
Extracting the tooth if it is a simple extraction. Difficult extractions that require surgery will be referred to National Dental Centre Singapore (NDCS) or a dentist in private practice

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.

Payment
The current Emergency Department attendance fee is S$121 per visit. This covers basic investigations and services. Emergency dental procedures will involve extra cost and additional charges. You may pay by cash, NETS, personal cheque, or credit card.

Information updated as at September 2018.