Emergency dental care
What counts as a dental emergency: a triage guide by symptom
Not every dental problem needs a dentist today, and a few need a hospital rather than a dentist. This guide sorts the common ones by how quickly they should be seen, using the same yardsticks we apply on the phone.
Clinically reviewed by Dr Ibraheem Ijaz, Principal Dentist · GDC 301711 · Last reviewed April 2026
Symptoms ranked by urgency
Find your symptom in the table. ‘Now’ means within the hour. ‘Today’ means ring for one of the emergency slots held every day between 8am and 8pm. ‘This week’ means it needs treating but a normal appointment will do.
| Symptom | Urgency | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Swelling closing the eye, reaching the neck, or difficulty swallowing or breathing | A&E or 999 now | Infection can block the airway within hours |
| Adult tooth knocked out | Now: dentist within 60 minutes | Root cells die once the tooth dries; replanting works best inside an hour |
| Bleeding that has not stopped after 30 minutes of firm pressure | Now: dentist if in hours, otherwise A&E | Especially on blood thinners |
| Tooth pushed out of position or very loose after a knock | Today, within hours | Easiest to reposition before the clot sets |
| Facial swelling with toothache | Today | An abscess that needs draining; antibiotics alone will not fix it |
| Toothache that kept you awake or lingers after hot drinks | Today | Usually an inflamed or dying nerve; pain relief comes from treating the tooth |
| Broken tooth with a pink or bleeding spot in the middle | Today | The nerve is exposed and needs covering |
| Pain and limited mouth opening at a wisdom tooth | Today | Pericoronitis; can spread if the opening keeps reducing |
| Lost crown or filling with sensitivity | Today or tomorrow | The exposed tooth is uncomfortable and decays quickly |
| Chipped tooth with a sharp edge, no pain | Within a few days | Comfort and to prevent the chip growing |
| Pain on biting one tooth, no swelling | This week | Often a crack; the sooner it is held, the less it spreads |
| Sensitivity to cold that passes in seconds | Routine appointment | Usually reversible; treated with sensitive toothpaste or a small filling |
| Bleeding gums when brushing | Routine appointment | Gum disease; needs treating but not today |
| Mouth ulcer under two weeks old | Not an emergency | Heals on its own; see a dentist if still there after two weeks |
When it is more than a dental problem
Dentists treat teeth. A handful of situations that start with a tooth become a threat to breathing, sight or life, and those belong at A&E. The nearest with a maxillofacial unit is the Northern General Hospital, Herries Road, Sheffield, about 20 minutes from Deepcar. Ring 999 rather than driving if breathing is affected.
- Swelling that is spreading upward to close the eye, or downward under the jaw into the neck. A swelling on both sides of the floor of the mouth that pushes the tongue up is called Ludwig's angina and is a true emergency.
- Any difficulty swallowing saliva, a muffled or hoarse voice, drooling, or noisy breathing.
- A high fever, shivering or feeling faint with a dental infection.
- Bleeding that will not stop with 30 minutes of firm pressure.
- After a blow to the face: loss of consciousness, vomiting, confusion, double vision, a jaw that no longer closes properly, or a tooth that cannot be found and may have been inhaled.
A&E will drain a dangerous abscess, give intravenous antibiotics and manage a facial injury. It will not fill or root-treat the tooth, so once the danger has passed, ring us for the dental part. Our page on a swollen face describes where the line sits in more detail.
Problems that need seeing today
These are the reasons we hold emergency slots every day. Around eight in ten people ringing with one of them are treated the day they call.
Severe toothache.
An abscess or gum boil with swelling.
A knocked-out, displaced or very loose adult tooth.
A broken tooth that hurts or shows a pink spot.
Pericoronitis.
A lost filling or crown with pain.
Pain after an extraction that gets worse from day two or three.
Problems that can wait a day or two but still need an appointment
- A chipped tooth that is not sensitive. Cover a sharp edge with sugar-free gum or wax and book within a few days; the chip will not heal and edges tend to get bigger.
- A crown or filling that has come out but is not sensitive. A pharmacy temporary filling kit holds it for a few days. Bring the crown; it can often be recemented.
- Pain on biting one particular tooth, without swelling or night pain. Often a crack, covered in our guide to pain when biting. Soft food on the other side until seen.
- A loose denture, a broken clasp or a denture that has cracked in half. Uncomfortable and embarrassing but not dangerous; do not try to glue it.
- A tooth that has slowly become sensitive to cold over weeks.
- Mild bleeding or soreness of the gums.
Things that feel urgent but usually are not
It is entirely reasonable to ring about any of these, and we will see you if you want to be seen, but they rarely justify a weekend charge or a sleepless night:
- A mouth ulcer, unless it has been there over two weeks or you have several at once.
- Cold sensitivity that passes in a few seconds and is otherwise unchanged.
- A small chip on a front tooth that is smooth and painless.
- Discomfort from a new denture or a recent filling that is settling and improving each day. If a filling feels high, that is quick to adjust; see our pain after a filling guide.
- A wisdom tooth that is coming through and aches a little without swelling or difficulty opening.
- Teeth that have become stained, or a small gap in the gum where food catches.
Children, pregnancy and blood thinners
Children
Children's dental injuries are treated as urgent whatever the time: a frightened child is easier to examine sooner, and a knocked-out baby tooth needs checking (though never replanting) to make sure the adult tooth beneath was not harmed. Toothache in a child with a swollen cheek is an abscess and needs seeing the same day; children's infections spread faster than adults'. A child who is feverish, floppy or refusing to drink with a dental swelling should go to A&E. Dr George is particularly good with anxious children.
Pregnancy
Dental emergencies are treated in pregnancy, and it is safer to treat an infection than to leave it. Local anaesthetic is safe throughout, digital X-rays are very low dose and are taken with shielding where needed, and paracetamol is the painkiller of choice; ibuprofen should be avoided, particularly after 30 weeks. Tell us you are pregnant when you ring so the visit can be planned around it, and mention any pregnancy gum swelling, which is common and usually harmless.
Blood thinners
If you take warfarin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, edoxaban, dabigatran, clopidogrel or similar, do not stop them for a dental problem. Extractions and abscess drainage can nearly always be done safely with local measures, following the national guidance we work to, though we may ask for a recent INR if you take warfarin or time an extraction for the morning. Bleeding after an extraction that has not stopped with 30 minutes of firm pressure on damp gauze is the one situation where you should ring us straight away or, out of hours, go to A&E.
Questions, answered
Common questions
What is classed as a dental emergency in the UK?
Severe toothache, facial swelling, a knocked-out or displaced tooth, uncontrolled bleeding, a broken tooth with the nerve exposed, and a painful abscess are the main ones. Swelling affecting the eye, neck, swallowing or breathing is a medical emergency and needs A&E.
Is toothache an emergency?
Toothache that is spontaneous, throbbing, wakes you or lingers after hot drinks is; the nerve is inflamed and needs treating. Brief cold sensitivity that passes in seconds is not, and can be seen at a routine appointment.
Should I go to A&E for toothache?
No. A&E does not treat toothache and will not fix the tooth. Go to A&E only for swelling that affects your eye, neck, swallowing or breathing, uncontrolled bleeding, or a head or jaw injury. Otherwise ring a dentist.
Is a lost filling an emergency?
It is urgent if the tooth is painful or sensitive. If it is comfortable, a pharmacy temporary filling kit will protect it for a few days, but it still needs replacing soon because exposed dentine decays quickly.
Is a chipped tooth an emergency?
Only if it is painful, sensitive to cold, or shows a pink or bleeding spot, which means the nerve is exposed. A smooth, painless chip can be seen within a few days.
Can I be seen as an emergency if I am pregnant?
Yes. Infections are treated in pregnancy because leaving them is the greater risk. Local anaesthetic and low-dose digital X-rays are safe; tell us you are pregnant when you ring.
Should I stop my blood thinners before an emergency extraction?
No. Do not stop them without your doctor's advice. Most extractions can be done safely on anticoagulants with local measures to control bleeding.
Do I need to be registered to be seen as an emergency?
No. Anyone can ring 0114 288 2121 for an emergency slot at Deepcar Dental Care, seven days a week. The examination is £30 including X-rays.
Related guides
More on emergency access
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