Emergency Dental Care in Taupō
Urgent dental care, after hours and during the day.
If you need urgent dental care outside our business hours, call Taupō Hospital on 07 376 1000 for a referral to the dentist on call. During the day, phone us on 07 378 9069.
The emergency dental care roster
Emergency dental assistance in Taupō is managed through a care roster that our team takes part in. Each dental practice in town takes its turn, and the practice on duty is responsible for triaging and treating people after hours who are experiencing severe dental pain, infection, or the effects of a serious accident.
How it works
Outside business hours, call Taupō Hospital on 07 376 1000 and they will refer you to the dentist currently on call. Please note that the hospital does not provide emergency dental treatment itself. It redirects you to the rostered practitioner.
During business hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm), phone us directly on 07 378 9069 and we will fit you in as quickly as we can.
Please be aware there may be extra charges involved with after-hours care. Each dental practice sets its own fees for consultation and treatment.
When to seek urgent care
- Severe dental pain that is not controlled by ordinary pain relief
- Facial swelling, particularly if it is spreading or affecting your eye or throat
- An accident involving serious dental trauma
- A tooth that has been knocked out or pushed out of position
- Uncontrolled bleeding from the mouth after an injury or extraction
Facial swelling that is spreading, or any difficulty breathing or swallowing, is a medical emergency. Go straight to hospital rather than waiting for a dental appointment.
First aid after dental trauma
The steps below are temporary first aid. They do not replace expert dental advice or treatment, so please seek professional care afterwards.
Step one. Rinse your mouth gently by swishing warm water and spitting it into a glass. Check whether any fragments have come loose, and keep them, as they can sometimes be reattached.
Step two. If you are bleeding, apply gentle pressure to the area with a clean cotton wool bud or piece of clean cloth and hold it for ten minutes. If there is swelling, use an ice pack against the outside of the cheek and take pain relief such as ibuprofen at the dose recommended on the packet to reduce inflammation.
Step three. Get in touch with our team so we can talk you through what happens next and get you in front of a dental professional.
Emergency care questions, answered
What to do when something goes wrong with your teeth.
Can't find what you're looking for?
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What counts as a dental emergency?
Severe pain that ordinary pain relief will not touch, facial swelling, uncontrolled bleeding, or an accident that has damaged, loosened or knocked out a tooth. A chipped tooth that is not painful can usually wait for a normal appointment, but ring us and we will help you judge it.
My tooth has been knocked out. What do I do?
Pick it up by the crown, not the root. If it is dirty, rinse it briefly in milk or saline, never scrub it. If you can, place it straight back into the socket and bite gently on a clean cloth; if not, keep it in milk or in your cheek. Then get to a dentist immediately. The first hour matters enormously.
Who do I call after hours?
Taupō Hospital on 07 376 1000. They will refer you to the dentist on call from the town-wide roster. The hospital does not treat dental problems itself, it directs you to the rostered practice.
Will after-hours care cost more?
There may well be extra charges involved with after-hours treatment, and each practice in Taupō sets its own fees for consultation and treatment. Ask about the cost when you are referred so you know where you stand.
I have facial swelling. Is that urgent?
Yes. Swelling means infection is spreading beyond the tooth and it needs attention quickly. If the swelling is spreading towards your eye or throat, or you are having any difficulty breathing or swallowing, treat it as a medical emergency and go to hospital.
Can I be seen if I am not already a patient?
Yes. The after-hours roster covers anyone in Taupō who needs urgent care, whether or not they are registered with us. If you would like to join us afterwards, our new patient information explains what happens next.
Request an appointment
Not urgent, but need to be seen? Fill in your details below, or phone us on 07 378 9069.
New patients welcome
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