A dental emergency is frightening partly because most people have no plan for one. The right first move in the first hour often decides whether a tooth is saved, and how much treatment you end up needing. Here are calm, practical steps for the most common ones, and a clear sense of when to call straight away.
In all of these cases, phone your nearest practice as early in the day as you can. We hold same-working-day slots for dental emergencies.
A knocked-out adult tooth
This is the one true race against the clock. If a permanent tooth is knocked clean out:
- Pick it up by the crown, the white part, never the root.
- If it is dirty, rinse it briefly in milk or saline, not tap water, and do not scrub it.
- If you can, gently push it back into the socket and bite on a clean cloth to hold it.
- If you cannot reinsert it, keep it in a cup of milk, or tucked inside the cheek.
- Call us immediately. Reimplantation is most successful within the first hour.
Baby teeth are not reimplanted, but still call us for advice.
Toothache
Take paracetamol or ibuprofen at the normal dose if you can take them safely, rinse with warm salty water, and avoid very hot, cold, or sweet foods on that side. Painkillers buy you comfort, not a cure. Persistent or throbbing pain, especially pain that wakes you at night, usually means the nerve is involved and needs assessing, sometimes with root canal treatment.
A chipped or broken tooth
Save any pieces in milk. Rinse your mouth with warm water and use a cold compress on the cheek to limit swelling. A sharp edge can be covered with a little orthodontic wax or sugar-free gum to protect your tongue until you are seen.
A lost crown or filling
Keep the crown if you have it. You can clean it and slip it back over the tooth temporarily with a dab of toothpaste to hold it, never superglue. Avoid chewing on that side and book in to have it recemented or replaced. A crown that keeps coming loose needs checking properly rather than repeatedly refixing.
Swelling or an abscess
Facial swelling is the symptom to take seriously. A small gum boil is uncomfortable but usually not an emergency in the same way. Swelling that is spreading across the face, swelling with a fever, or any difficulty swallowing or breathing needs urgent care that day. If you cannot reach us and symptoms are severe, call NHS 111 or go to A&E.
Bleeding that will not stop
After an extraction, bite firmly on a clean gauze or cloth pad for 20 minutes without peeking. Avoid rinsing, hot drinks, and exercise for the rest of the day. If heavy bleeding continues beyond that, call us.
The simple rule
When in doubt, phone early. It is always easier to release a slot you turn out not to need than to find one late in the day. Our emergency page has the direct numbers for all three practices.
This article is general first-aid information, not a substitute for being examined. If you have severe facial swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or uncontrolled bleeding, treat it as urgent.