Broken this morning? Call now, not this afternoon.

Reviewed August 2026.

What counts as an emergency

A knocked-out tooth. A tooth broken with the nerve exposed. Swelling of the face or under the jaw. Bleeding that will not stop. Pain that has stopped responding to over-the-counter painkillers, or that is waking you at night. A crown or bridge that has come off is not an emergency but should not wait a fortnight either.

A knocked-out tooth — the thirty minutes that decide it

The American Dental Association puts the useful window at about half an hour. Handle the tooth by the crown, not the root. Rinse it in tap water without scrubbing. Put it straight back in the socket if you can and bite gently on a clean cloth. If you cannot, keep it in milk — not water, not a dry tissue — and get to a dentist immediately.

Swelling is the one not to sleep on

Swelling that is spreading, that closes the eye, that reaches under the jaw, or that comes with a temperature or difficulty swallowing is not a dental inconvenience. Call. Out of hours, that means an emergency room rather than waiting for the office to open.

Before you get here

A cold pack against the cheek, twenty minutes on and twenty off. Over-the-counter painkillers at the dose on the packet. Nothing hot on the area. Do not put aspirin against the gum — it burns the tissue and does not help the tooth. Bring a list of any medication you take.