It happens fast. A popcorn kernel cracks a corner off a back tooth. Or you wake in the night with a throb that pain pills barely touch, or a fall knocks out a front tooth. The first question is always the same: is it a dental emergency, or can it wait? The second is what to do in the next hour, before anyone can look at it.
If you are holding a knocked-out tooth right now, skip straight to that section below.
Is it a dental emergency? The signs that mean call now
Call us right away if any of these are true.
Swelling in your face or jaw is one of the signs of a dental abscess, an infection at the root, that the NHS lists.
A knocked-out adult tooth is the case where minutes change the outcome, for reasons explained below.
Bleeding that will not stop. For a bitten lip or tongue, the American Dental Association says heavy or nonstop bleeding needs a dentist or the emergency room.
A fever along with tooth pain matters because the NHS lists a high temperature among those same abscess signs.
Pain that lingers after something hot or cold. A quick zing that fades in seconds is usually minor. The American Association of Endodontists says pain that hangs on afterward likely means the pulp is damaged beyond healing on its own.
The pulp is the small bundle of nerve and blood vessels sealed inside every tooth. When it gets inflamed it swells, but the hard walls around it cannot stretch to make room. A 2024 review in Frontiers in Dental Medicine explains that the pressure inside then rises and squeezes the pulp's own blood vessels. If the infection keeps going, the pulp can die.
When should you go to the emergency room instead?
Some signs mean the problem has moved beyond a tooth. Skip the call and go to the nearest emergency room, or call 911, if breathing, swallowing, speaking or opening your mouth is hard. The NHS lists those signs, along with a swollen or painful eye or sudden trouble with your eyesight. A lot of swelling inside your mouth is on that list too.
A tooth infection sits around the root, inside the jawbone, and from there it can spread into the soft spaces of the face and neck. A 2026 review in the Journal of Dental Sciences names lower back teeth as the most common starting point. Their roots sit close to the spaces under the jaw. Swelling in those spaces can press on your airway. The review's red flags for hospital care include trouble breathing, trouble swallowing, a jaw that barely opens, fast-spreading swelling and fever.
What can wait for the next opening?
Plenty of problems feel urgent without being emergencies. Cleveland Clinic lists a dull or mild toothache, a small chip or crack, and a small cut or sore in the mouth among them. Those can wait for a regular appointment, as long as it is soon. Sensitivity that fades within seconds is usually not a serious problem, per the AAE. Call to book, and protect the tooth in the meantime.
What to do in the next hour, by situation
None of this replaces a call, but it protects the tooth until we can see you.
A severe toothache
Rinse with warm water, then floss gently around the tooth to clear out any trapped food, as the ADA advises. Do not put aspirin on the tooth or the gum, since the ADA warns it can burn the gum tissue. An NHS dental service adds an over-the-counter pain reliever, taken as the label directs. The same service suggests a cold pack wrapped in a clean towel and held against your cheek to ease pain and swelling.
A broken or chipped tooth
Find the broken piece and keep it. The AAE notes that a chipped tooth can sometimes be repaired by reattaching that same piece. The ADA advises rinsing with warm water and holding a cold compress on your face to keep swelling down. Until you get here, the AAE suggests biting on clean, damp gauze or cloth to ease the pain. The AAE says to skip numbing gels and aspirin on an injured tooth.
Whether a broken tooth needs a filling or a crown depends on how much solid tooth is left. We explain how that is decided in crown vs. filling.
A lost crown or filling
Call soon to book it. A tooth is reshaped to fit under a crown, so losing the crown leaves that reshaped tooth uncovered. NHS 111 Wales advises keeping the crown safe to bring with you and avoiding hard food on that tooth. Skip very hot or cold drinks, which may cause sensitivity. Our dental crowns page explains how a new crown is made and fitted.
Swelling in your gums or face
Swollen gums, a bad taste in your mouth or a swollen face can point to an abscess, per the AAE and the NHS. Call the same day you notice it. A cold pack wrapped in a cloth and held on the outside of your cheek can ease the swelling while you wait. Keep watching for the emergency room signs above, because this is the situation they come from.
A knocked-out adult tooth
The root is covered in a thin layer of living cells, and those cells are what reattach the tooth to the bone. Per the International Association of Dental Traumatology guidelines, the root starts drying out within a few minutes. After 30 minutes of dry time, most of those cells are no longer alive, so every step below is about keeping the root wet.
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Pick the tooth up by the crown, the white part, and do not touch the root.
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If it is dirty, rinse it gently in milk, saline or your own saliva. Do not scrub it.
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Gently push it back into its socket, facing the way it was, then bite on gauze or a napkin to hold it there.
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If it will not go back in, keep it moist in milk, which the IADT ranks first. Saliva spat into a cup also works. The AAE and the ADA both name one more option: hold the tooth inside your cheek.
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Use plain water only if nothing else is at hand. The IADT calls it a poor choice, but still better than letting the tooth dry in the air.
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Call us on the way.
These steps are for adult teeth. The AAE advises against putting a knocked-out baby tooth back, because it can damage the adult tooth growing in the bone underneath.
What happens when you call us?
Call 702-732-3754 and tell us what happened, when it started, and whether you have swelling or a fever. We will tell you what to do right now and the soonest we can see you. Our emergency dentistry page explains the visit itself.
Our hours shift every two weeks, and we have no evening or weekend appointments. If you reach us while we are closed, leave a message and we will call you back. If an injury happens while the office is closed, the ADA advises going to your local emergency room.
When you come in, we examine the tooth and get you comfortable before any talk of long-term treatment. Once the pain is under control, I walk you through what I found and what your options are. You get the plan written down before any treatment starts. If the tooth needs repair after that, our restorative dentistry page covers what that can look like.
Questions people ask about dental emergencies
My toothache stopped on its own. Is the problem gone?
Not necessarily. The AAE notes that when the pulp inside a tooth dies and goes untreated, the infection around the root may or may not be painful. Pain that fades after days of throbbing does not prove the infection is gone, so call and tell us.
Do I need to be a patient already to call?
No. We see new and existing patients for dental emergencies. Call, tell us what happened, and we will tell you what to do next and the soonest we can see you.
If something has happened to a tooth and you are unsure how serious it is, call 702-732-3754 or use our contact page.