A dental emergency is any problem that needs care within hours rather than days: a knocked-out adult tooth, swelling in the gum or face, pain severe enough to stop you sleeping, a tooth broken with sharp edges or pain, or bleeding that will not settle with pressure. If you have facial swelling with fever, or difficulty swallowing, breathing or opening your mouth, go to a hospital emergency department instead. Most other problems, such as a small chip with no pain or a lost filling that is not hurting, can wait for the next available appointment.
The difficulty is that dental problems rarely announce how serious they are. This guide sorts the common situations into what needs a call today, what can wait a day or two, and what belongs at a hospital, along with what to do in the meantime.
Call a dentist the same day
These situations get harder to treat, or the chance of saving the tooth falls, with every hour that passes:
- A knocked-out adult tooth. The best chance of saving it is within the first thirty to sixty minutes. Our knocked-out tooth guide covers the first hour step by step.
- Swelling around a tooth or in the face. Swelling usually means infection, and a dental infection does not resolve on its own. See dental abscess and facial swelling for the warning signs.
- Severe or throbbing toothache, especially pain that wakes you or lingers long after something hot or cold.
- A broken tooth with pain, sharp edges or a visible pink or red spot, which can mean the nerve is exposed.
- Bleeding that will not stop after twenty minutes of firm pressure with a folded gauze or clean cloth.
- A dental injury in a child after a fall or sport, even if the tooth looks intact.
We keep time available for emergencies and aim to see you the same day. Calling early in the day gives the best chance of a same-day appointment. More detail is on our emergency dentist page.
Go to hospital instead
Some situations are medical emergencies that a dental chair is not equipped for. Go to the nearest emergency department, or call 000, if you have:
- Facial swelling with a fever or feeling generally unwell
- Swelling spreading towards the eye or down the neck
- Difficulty swallowing, breathing or opening your mouth
- A head injury with confusion, vomiting or loss of consciousness, even briefly
- A suspected broken jaw
Once the medical problem is managed, we can take care of the tooth that caused it.
Usually fine to wait a day or two
These still need attention, but rarely the same day, provided there is no pain or swelling:
- A small chip with no pain. Smooth sharp edges with a nail file only if it is the very edge of the enamel; otherwise cover them with sugar-free gum or dental wax. See chipped or cracked tooth.
- A lost filling or crown that is not hurting. Keep the crown and bring it with you, because an intact crown can often be cleaned and recemented. Our guide to a lost filling or crown explains what to do in the meantime.
- Mild sensitivity to cold that settles within seconds.
- A loose or broken brace wire that is not cutting the cheek.
If anything on this list starts to hurt, swell or bleed, treat it as a same-day problem.
What to do before you are seen
Pain
Paracetamol or ibuprofen can help, taken as directed on the packet and only if they are safe for you. Never put aspirin against the gum; it burns the tissue. A cold pack on the outside of the cheek, twenty minutes on and twenty off, helps with swelling. Avoid heat on a swollen face, which can encourage infection to spread.
A knocked-out adult tooth
Pick it up by the crown, not the root. If it is dirty, rinse it for a few seconds in milk or cool water without scrubbing. Push it back into the socket if you can and bite gently on a clean cloth. If not, keep it in milk or in the person’s own saliva, never in plain water, and come straight in.
A knocked-out baby tooth
Do not put it back. Replanting a baby tooth can damage the adult tooth forming underneath. Keep the tooth, control any bleeding with gentle pressure and bring your child in so we can check the area.
A broken tooth
Rinse with warm water, keep any fragment in milk or water and bring it with you. Avoid chewing on that side.
Outside opening hours
Our practice is open Monday to Thursday 9am to 6pm and Friday 9am to 5pm, with Saturday appointments by arrangement. If a problem starts after hours:
- For anything on the hospital list above, go to an emergency department.
- For general health advice, Healthdirect is available on 1800 022 222, 24 hours a day.
- For toothache without swelling, manage the pain as above and call us when we open. Calling early in the day gives the best chance of being seen that day.
What an emergency appointment involves
The aim of an emergency visit is to get you out of pain and make the situation stable. That usually means an examination, an X-ray of the tooth involved, and treatment such as dressing a tooth, smoothing or temporarily repairing a break, draining an infection or starting root canal treatment. Definitive treatment, like a crown or completing a root canal, is often done at a later appointment once you are comfortable.
An emergency examination at our practice is $70 to $110, with X-rays $52 each as needed. Any treatment is quoted before it goes ahead wherever the situation allows. HICAPS is available for on-the-spot health fund claiming.
Common questions
Will antibiotics fix a tooth infection?
Not on their own. They can control spreading infection, but the source inside the tooth or gum still needs treating, or the infection returns.
The pain has stopped. Do I still need to come in?
Yes. Pain that stops suddenly can mean the nerve inside the tooth has died, and the infection can continue without symptoms until it flares again.
Should my child see a dentist after a knock to a tooth that looks fine?
It is worth a check. A knock can damage the nerve or the adult tooth developing underneath without anything showing at first, and early follow-up makes problems easier to manage.
Can I wait until after the weekend?
If there is no swelling, fever or uncontrolled bleeding and the pain is manageable with over-the-counter pain relief, usually yes. If any of those change, do not wait.
Booking an appointment in Canberra City
Civic Gentle Dental Care is a Canberra City dentist at Suite 8, Level 3/161 London Circuit, a short walk from the Canberra Centre. To arrange an appointment, call (02) 6247 0224 or send us a message through our contact page.
This article is general information only and is not a substitute for individual dental advice. Whether a treatment is suitable for you, and what it will involve, can only be determined after an examination by a dentist. Any prices mentioned are estimates drawn from our current price guide and are not a quote.