Emergency dental care

Temporary fixes before your appointment: what is safe to do

Most dental problems can be made bearable, and kept from getting worse, with what is in a kitchen or a pharmacy. Here is what we tell people on the phone, problem by problem.

Call 0114 288 2121 See today’s emergency slots

Clinically reviewed by Dr Ibraheem Ijaz, Principal Dentist · GDC 301711 · Last reviewed April 2026

Lost fillings and crowns that have come off

A filling has fallen out

The hole left behind is lined with dentine, which is soft, sensitive and decays much faster than enamel, so the aim is to keep it covered and clean. Rinse with warm salt water. Dry the tooth with a tissue and press a pea-sized piece of pharmacy temporary filling material into the hole (see the section on kits below). If you have no kit, a piece of sugar-free chewing gum pressed in does the same job for a few hours. Chew on the other side. A smear of sensitive-teeth toothpaste rubbed onto the exposed dentine and left there reduces the twinges. If the tooth is sensitive to cold, that is normal; if it starts to throb or keeps you awake, ring, because the nerve is involved. Our lost filling page has more.

A crown has come off

Keep the crown; it can nearly always be cleaned and recemented, which is far cheaper than a new one. Look inside it. If there is a lump of tooth or a metal post inside, do not try to refit it, as it will not seat, and bring the whole thing in. If the inside is hollow, clean it with a toothbrush, dry the tooth, and try it in without cement to check it clicks into place in only one orientation. If it does, you can hold it there with a pharmacy temporary dental cement or, failing that, a smear of denture adhesive or toothpaste, then bite down gently to seat it. Do not use superglue; it damages the tooth, can glue the crown in crooked, and makes it much harder to refit properly. Take the crown out at night so you do not swallow or inhale it. A crown left off for more than a few days lets the neighbouring teeth drift, and the crown may then no longer fit, so book within a day or two even if it is comfortable. Recementing is described on our recementing a crown page.

Chipped or broken teeth

Find the piece and keep it in milk; a clean front-tooth fragment can sometimes be bonded straight back on. Cover any sharp edge with orthodontic wax (sold for braces) or sugar-free gum so it stops cutting your tongue and cheek. Rinse with warm salt water after eating to keep the broken surface clean. If the break is sensitive, treat it like a lost filling above. If you can see a pink or bleeding dot in the middle of the broken surface, the nerve is exposed: keep it covered with temporary filling material, avoid hot and cold, and ring for a same-day slot. Do not bite on the tooth to test whether it hurts; a cracked cusp that is still attached will come off. Our guide to a fractured cusp explains why the pain often stops when the piece breaks away.

Toothache and swelling

Toothache

Paracetamol and ibuprofen are the two useful painkillers. They work in different ways and can be taken together, each as directed on its own packet, which for most adults controls dental pain better than either alone. Do not exceed the packet dose of either, and check with a pharmacist if you take other medicines, have stomach or kidney problems, or are pregnant (paracetamol only). Sleep propped up on two pillows, because lying flat raises the pressure in the tooth and the throbbing gets worse. If the tooth hurts with heat and is eased by cold, holding cold water in the mouth is a sign the nerve is dying and the tooth needs treating soon, but it works as relief for the night. Clove oil on a cotton bud applied to the tooth itself, not the gum, gives brief numbing; keep it off soft tissue, which it burns. Never put an aspirin or any tablet against the gum for the same reason.

Swelling

A swelling on the gum or in the cheek is an abscess and needs draining by a dentist; nothing at home cures it. Until then: painkillers as above, warm salt-water rinses held over the area, and a cold compress on the outside of the face for comfort. Do not apply heat to the outside of the face, as it draws the infection outward into the skin. Do not squeeze the lump. If the swelling reaches the eye or the neck, or you have any difficulty swallowing or breathing, go to A&E; see the section on things not to do below. Antibiotics are not a self-care option and are not a treatment for an abscess on their own.

A knocked-out tooth and bleeding that will not stop

Knocked-out adult tooth

Pick it up by the crown, not the root. If it is dirty, rinse for a few seconds in milk, or saline, or the person's own saliva. Push it back into the socket the right way round and bite gently on a handkerchief to hold it. If you cannot, put it in a cup of milk, or in the cheek for an adult, and ring immediately. Milk keeps the root cells alive for about an hour; tap water kills them in minutes. A baby tooth is never put back. Full steps on our knocked-out tooth page.

Bleeding after an extraction or injury

Fold a piece of clean gauze or a clean cotton handkerchief, dampen it, place it directly over the bleeding socket and bite firmly for 20 to 30 minutes by the clock without lifting it to look. Sit upright and stay still. Repeat once if needed. Do not rinse, spit, suck through a straw, smoke or drink alcohol for 24 hours, because all of these dislodge the clot. Some pink-stained saliva for a day is normal; a mouth filling with blood is not. If firm pressure has not worked after two attempts, ring us or, out of hours, go to A&E, particularly if you take blood thinners. Tea bags work as an alternative to gauze; the tannin helps clotting.

Broken dentures and orthodontic wires

Broken denture

Keep all the pieces, including any tooth that has come off. Do not glue them. Household glues are not safe in the mouth and a glued denture almost never goes back together in the right position, which makes a professional repair harder. If the denture is cracked but still in one piece, you can usually wear it carefully for eating, then take it out. A pharmacy denture repair kit can hold two clean halves together for a few days if you follow the instructions exactly, but it is a stopgap. Dentures can often be repaired within a day or two through our laboratory; see our dentures page.

Brace wire poking your cheek

Push the end of the wire flat against the tooth with the rubber end of a pencil or a clean cotton bud, then cover it with a blob of orthodontic wax pressed on with dry fingers. If the wire has come out of the back bracket entirely and is digging in, it can be trimmed as a last resort with clean nail clippers, holding the loose end with tissue so it is not swallowed. A ball of wax or sugar-free gum covers a broken bracket. Ring your orthodontist in working hours; if the wire has cut the cheek and you cannot cover it, we can trim and smooth it.

Pharmacy temporary filling kits and their limits

Most large pharmacies and supermarkets sell temporary filling material, usually a zinc-oxide paste that sets in the mouth over a few minutes, and temporary crown cement in a small tube. They are worth having in the house if you have several old fillings or crowns.

Two cautions. Do not pack material into a deep hole that is already aching; if the nerve is infected, sealing it in increases the pressure. And a temporary that feels fine is the most common reason a small cavity becomes a root canal, because the tooth stops hurting and the appointment gets forgotten. The kit buys days. A proper emergency temporary filling at the practice buys weeks, and the £30 examination that comes with it tells you what is actually going on.

Situation	Kit useful?	Limit
Filling fallen out, tooth comfortable	Yes	Lasts a few days at most; wears with chewing and must be replaced by a proper filling
Crown come off, hollow inside	Yes, temporary cement	Only if the crown seats cleanly; remove at night
Sharp edge on a broken tooth	Yes, or orthodontic wax	Covers the edge, does nothing for the crack underneath
Toothache with no visible hole	No	There is nothing to fill; the problem is inside the tooth
Exposed nerve (pink or bleeding spot)	Cover only	Buys hours, not days; ring for a same-day slot
Swelling or abscess	No	Sealing a hole over an abscess traps pus and makes the pain worse
Loose tooth after a knock	No	Needs repositioning and a proper splint

Things not to do

Do not put aspirin, paracetamol or any tablet against the gum. It causes a chemical burn and does not relieve the pain.
Do not exceed the packet dose of painkillers, and do not take ibuprofen on an empty stomach or if you have been told to avoid it.
Do not use superglue or household adhesive on a crown, a denture or a tooth.
Do not apply heat to a swollen face, and do not squeeze or try to burst an abscess.
Do not take leftover antibiotics from a previous course. They will not treat a dental abscess and they make the infection harder to manage.
Do not rinse, spit or smoke for 24 hours after an extraction, and do not poke the socket.
Do not store a knocked-out tooth in water, scrub its root, or put back a baby tooth.
Do not wait for swelling near the eye or in the neck, or any trouble swallowing or breathing, to improve on its own. Go to A&E or ring 999.

Everything above is a bridge to being seen, not a substitute for it. Emergency slots are held every day from 8am to 8pm; ring 0114 288 2121 and around eight in ten people are treated the same day. If it is the middle of the night, our out-of-hours guide explains what the 24-hour line can do.

Questions, answered

Common questions

What can I use as a temporary filling at home?

A pharmacy temporary filling kit is best. Sugar-free chewing gum pressed into the hole works for a few hours. Neither is a treatment; the tooth still needs a proper filling within days.

Can I glue my crown back on with superglue?

No. Superglue is not safe in the mouth, damages the tooth and often fixes the crown in the wrong position. Use pharmacy temporary crown cement or a smear of denture adhesive and bring the crown to be recemented properly.

What is the best painkiller for toothache?

Paracetamol and ibuprofen taken together, each as directed on the packet, work better than either alone for most adults. Avoid ibuprofen if you are pregnant or have been told not to take it.

Does clove oil work for toothache?

It numbs briefly when dabbed on the tooth itself. Keep it off the gum and cheek, which it burns, and do not rely on it; it does nothing for the cause.

How do I stop a tooth socket bleeding?

Bite firmly on damp gauze or a clean handkerchief for 20 to 30 minutes without checking, sitting upright. Do not rinse, spit or smoke. If two attempts fail, ring us or go to A&E.

Can I take old antibiotics for a dental abscess?

No. Antibiotics do not cure a dental abscess, which needs draining, and leftover courses are usually the wrong drug at the wrong dose. Ring for a same-day appointment instead.

Can I fix a broken denture myself?

Not with household glue. A pharmacy denture repair kit can hold clean halves together for a few days. Keep all the pieces and bring them in; most dentures can be repaired within a day or two.

How long can I leave a lost filling before it becomes a problem?

Days rather than weeks. Exposed dentine decays quickly and the tooth can crack around the hole. Cover it and book within a few days, sooner if it is painful.

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