When is it an emergency?
- Severe, persistent toothache that does not respond to pain relief
- A swollen cheek or swelling, possibly with a fever (infection)
- A broken, dislodged or knocked-out tooth following a fall or accident
- Renewed bleeding after a tooth has been extracted
- A lost filling, crown or bridge with pain
What can you do yourself in the meantime?
For a knocked-out tooth: hold the tooth by the crown (not by the root), rinse it only briefly if needed and keep it in milk or inside your cheek. This applies to permanent teeth; a baby tooth is not put back, and for children keep the tooth in milk rather than in the mouth. The sooner a dentist puts the tooth back, the greater the chance of saving it, so see a dentist as quickly as possible.
For pain or swelling: a pain reliever available from the pharmacy, taken according to the instructions, can help bridge the first few hours. Cool a swelling from the outside. If the swelling grows quickly, you develop a fever, or you have trouble swallowing or breathing, call your GP or the out-of-hours GP service straight away. If you are struggling to breathe, call 112.
Emergency care once we are open
For registered clients we keep time available for emergencies every day, so that you can usually be seen the same day with acute complaints. Outside opening hours we refer you, via an emergency line, to the on-call emergency dentist in the region. We will publish the practical details (telephone number and procedure) here when we open.