A dental emergency is frightening because the normal routes feel closed: it is the weekend, you have no dentist, and the pain is bad. Here is exactly what to do.
Getting seen today
- Phone your own dentist first if you have one. NHS practices must provide urgent slots for their patients, so ring the moment they open.
- No dentist, or they cannot see you? Call NHS 111 or use 111 online. They triage your symptoms and can book you into an NHS urgent dental centre, often the same day for severe pain, swelling or bleeding. The charge is the NHS urgent rate of £27.90, or free if you are exempt.
- Private emergency dentists keep same day slots too. Expect £80 to £400 for the appointment, which covers examination and temporary treatment; permanent work is charged on top.
When to go to A&E instead
Go to A&E, or call 999, for the small number of dental problems that are genuinely dangerous:
- Swelling that affects your breathing or swallowing, or is spreading to your eye or neck
- Bleeding that will not stop after 20 minutes of firm pressure
- A facial injury with a possible broken jaw
A&E does not do dentistry, but it treats these life threatening complications. For ordinary toothache, A&E is the wrong place and they will send you back to the dental route.
First aid while you wait
- Toothache: take ordinary painkillers at the normal dose. A cold compress on the cheek helps. Do not hold aspirin against the gum, which burns the tissue.
- Knocked out adult tooth: hold it by the crown, not the root, rinse gently if dirty, and try to put it back in the socket. If you cannot, keep it in milk and get to a dentist within the hour; speed gives the best chance of saving it. Do not try to reimplant a child's baby tooth.
- Broken or chipped tooth: keep any pieces, rinse with warm water, and cover a sharp edge with dental wax or sugar free gum to protect your tongue.
- Lost filling or crown: a pharmacy sells temporary filling material. If you still have the crown, it can sometimes be held in place briefly with a dab of dental cement, not household glue.
- Abscess (a painful swelling with a bad taste): this needs a dentist promptly; do not try to burst it.
What counts as a real emergency
Severe pain that painkillers do not touch, facial swelling, uncontrolled bleeding and a knocked out or badly broken tooth are emergencies. A lost filling with no pain, a small chip, or a dull ache are not; book a normal appointment for those.
This is general information, not clinical advice. If you are worried, call NHS 111, who can tell you where to go.