Our emergency line is open day and night, every day. So when sudden toothache, a broken crown or a knocked-out tooth strikes, you can call for urgent help straight away. One safety note first: if you have difficulty breathing or swallowing, or facial swelling spreading towards your eye or down your neck, go to A&E or call 999 before you call us.
A throbbing toothache at 2am, a crown that comes loose over the weekend, a tooth knocked out on the sports pitch. These are exactly the moments Day Night Dental was built for. If you are searching for an emergency dentist open now, that is us: our emergency helpline answers at any hour, weekday, weekend or the middle of the night, so you speak to a real person straight away rather than waiting until Monday.
You will find us at 80 Hutcheson Street in Merchant City, a couple of minutes on foot from Argyle Street and Queen Street stations and St Enoch subway, which makes us quick to reach from almost anywhere in the city, at 3pm or 3am. Whether you are coming from the West End, Dennistoun or the Southside, we cover the whole of Glasgow, and you do not need to be an existing patient to call.
We keep same-day emergency slots in reserve every day, because emergencies simply cannot be booked in advance. When you arrive, the dentist settles your pain first, then works out what is causing it and talks you through your options before any treatment goes ahead. Nothing happens without your say-so.
We see the full range of dental emergencies: abscesses and severe toothache, broken, chipped or knocked-out teeth, lost fillings and crowns, wisdom tooth pain, broken dentures, damaged bridges and veneers that have chipped or come away. If a tooth can be saved, we will always try. If it cannot, we will tell you plainly, make you comfortable and talk you through tooth extraction and what can replace the tooth afterwards.
Call anyway. The point of a line that never closes is that you do not have to make that judgement alone at 3am. As a rule of thumb, anything involving severe pain, facial swelling, bleeding that will not settle, or a tooth that has been knocked out or badly broken should be seen quickly. A dull ache that comes and goes, a small chip that does not hurt, or mild sensitivity can usually wait for a routine slot, and we will tell you which camp you are in when you call.
Children are welcome at any hour too. A child with a knocked-out or badly broken tooth, a swollen face or pain that keeps them up at night should be seen promptly, and our children's dentistry page explains how we keep visits calm for younger patients.
If fear is the thing stopping you from picking up the phone, you are not alone. Many of the people who call us at night have been avoiding the dentist for years and only ring when the pain wins. There is no lecture waiting for you here. We look after nervous patients gently, take things at your pace and concentrate on getting you out of pain first.
Toothache also has a habit of feeling worse at night. When you lie flat, more blood flows to your head, which can increase the pressure around an inflamed tooth, and with fewer distractions the pain feels louder. That is not your imagination, and it is part of the reason we built a practice that does not shut in the evening.
Our emergency line does not shut. The moment something goes wrong, day or night, weekday or weekend, you get a real person, a few quick questions and a plan, not an answering machine telling you to try again at nine.
We deliberately keep appointments free every single day for emergencies, and we aim to see you within hours of your call rather than telling you to wait for the next routine opening.
Before anything else, we focus on getting you out of pain. Once you are comfortable, we move on to working out the cause and talking through what happens next.
We explain what is wrong in plain language, set out your choices and the likely costs, and never push treatment on you. You decide, with all the facts in front of you.
Ring our emergency line at any hour. We will ask a few quick questions to understand your symptoms and how urgent they are, then get you booked in.
We hold same-day emergency slots every day and aim to see you within hours of your call. For overnight calls we arrange the soonest suitable out-of-hours time and tell you how to manage until then.
At the practice, the dentist settles your pain first, then examines the area and, where needed, takes an X-ray to pinpoint exactly what is causing the problem.
The dentist carries out the treatment that stabilises the tooth, explains how to care for it afterwards and arranges any follow-up. Sometimes the definitive fix, such as root canal treatment or a permanent crown, follows at a calmer second visit once things have settled.
An emergency visit settles the immediate problem, but the hours afterwards matter. Here is what to do once you leave our Merchant City surgery, whatever time of day or night you were seen.
An emergency appointment is about settling the pain and stabilising the problem. In many cases the definitive treatment, such as a root canal or a permanent crown, follows at a later visit once things have calmed down.
Some teeth cannot be saved. If a tooth is too broken or too far gone, we will be straight with you about it and focus on getting you comfortable and planning what comes next.
A knocked-out adult tooth is time-critical. The sooner you reach us the better the chance of saving it, so call straight away rather than waiting for morning.
And some situations belong in hospital, not a dental chair. Difficulty breathing or swallowing, swelling spreading towards the eye or down the neck, a high temperature with facial swelling, serious facial trauma, or bleeding that will not stop despite pressure all need A&E, and anything life-threatening means 999. When in doubt, treat these red flags as a medical emergency first and see us about the tooth afterwards.
We do not publish a price list here because every emergency is different, but the structure is simple. Your emergency assessment covers the consultation, the examination, any X-rays needed to find the problem and getting your pain under control.
If treatment is needed beyond that, whether a dressing, a filling, an extraction or the first stage of a root canal, the dentist prices it before starting and you get a clear, itemised breakdown. Nothing goes ahead until you have agreed to it, whatever the hour.
What you pay depends on what the problem turns out to be. A tooth that needs a simple dressing costs less than one that needs extracting, and an infection that has spread needs more care than one caught early. That is why the assessment comes first, so any quote is based on what your tooth actually needs rather than a guess over the phone.
An emergency assessment at Day Night Dental covers the consultation, pain relief and diagnosis, including any X-rays needed. Any further treatment, such as a filling, extraction or root canal, is quoted separately and explained to you before we begin. We will always confirm the cost upfront so there are no surprises.
That is the plan the practice is built around. We hold same-day emergency slots every day and aim to see you within hours of your call. Emergencies cannot be booked in advance, which is exactly why those slots are kept in reserve. For overnight or out-of-hours calls, we arrange the earliest suitable appointment and give you advice to manage your symptoms until then.
Severe or worsening toothache, facial swelling or an abscess, a knocked-out or badly broken tooth, uncontrolled bleeding, and lost crowns or fillings causing pain are all good reasons to call. A knocked-out adult tooth in particular is time-critical, so ring us straight away rather than waiting. If you are unsure, call and we will help you judge how urgent it is.
No. You do not need to be registered with us, or with any dentist, to call the emergency line or to be seen. We treat unregistered patients, visitors to Glasgow and people who have not sat in a dental chair for years. If you would like ongoing routine care afterwards, registering with the practice is a separate and simple step, but it is never a condition of emergency treatment.
Sometimes, but access is limited. If you are registered with an NHS dentist, contact your own practice first during working hours. Out of hours, the NHS urgent route is NHS 24 on 111, which can direct you to an emergency clinic such as the Glasgow Dental Hospital, though urgent slots are limited and waits can be long, especially overnight and at weekends. Day Night Dental is a private emergency service, which is what lets us answer at any hour and hold same-day slots, and we always explain costs before any treatment starts.
For pain, an over-the-counter painkiller you normally tolerate can help, and a cold compress against the cheek may ease swelling. Do not place aspirin directly on the gum, as it burns the tissue rather than helping. If a tooth has been knocked out, follow the steps in the next answer and get to us as quickly as you can. We will give you advice for your situation when you call.
For an adult tooth, act fast, because time really matters. Pick it up by the crown, the part you normally see, and avoid touching the root. If it is dirty, lick it clean or rinse it very briefly in milk, then try to slot it back into the socket and bite gently on a clean cloth. If you cannot, keep it in a cup of milk or held inside your cheek and call our line straight away. A baby tooth should not be put back, but still call us for advice.
Treat it as one and call us. An abscess is an infection, usually with throbbing pain, a bad taste or facial swelling, and it will not clear on its own. We will see you quickly to relieve the pressure and start treatment. If the swelling is spreading towards your eye or down your neck, or you feel unwell with a fever, go to A&E, as a spreading infection is a medical emergency.
Yes. Wisdom tooth pain is one of the most common emergencies we see, often caused by pericoronitis, an infection of the gum flap over a partly erupted tooth. The dentist will assess the area and usually take an X-ray to see how the tooth is positioned. Many flare-ups settle with a professional clean of the area and advice, some need antibiotics if infection is spreading, and a tooth that keeps flaring up may be best removed. You will have all the options explained before anything is decided.
That is exactly why our line is open day and night, every day. Whether it is the small hours or a Sunday, call and we will ask a few quick questions, work out whether you need to be seen overnight or first thing, and give you advice to manage until then. Being in central Glasgow, in Merchant City, we are easy to reach from across the city when you do come in.
Call us and we will talk it through and get them seen. In the meantime, a children's painkiller at the dose on the packet for their age can help, and a cold compress against the cheek may ease swelling. Try to keep them to soft food and lukewarm drinks. If a baby tooth is knocked out, do not push it back in, but do ring us for advice.
It is worth calling, especially if the tooth is sharp or painful or the gap is sensitive. Keep the area clean and avoid chewing on that side. If you still have the crown, hold on to it and bring it with you, as it can sometimes be cleaned up and refitted. We will get you booked in to sort it properly, day or night.
Roll up a clean piece of gauze or a cotton handkerchief, place it over the socket and bite down firmly with steady pressure for around 20 minutes without lifting it to check. Avoid rinsing, spitting, hot drinks and smoking, as these restart the bleeding. A little oozing for a few hours is normal. If brisk bleeding will not settle despite firm pressure, call us, and treat bleeding that simply will not stop as a reason to seek urgent medical help.
Go straight to A&E if you have difficulty breathing or swallowing, swelling spreading towards your eye or down your neck, a high temperature alongside facial swelling, a serious facial injury, or bleeding you cannot control with pressure. These can be signs of a spreading infection or serious trauma and need hospital care, and you should call 999 for anything life-threatening. For everything else dental, from severe toothache to broken teeth, call us.
Call any time, day or night. We aim to see emergency patients the same day.
