Written and clinically reviewed by Dr. Andrew Korcek, DDS, FAGD · Korcek Dental, Minden, Nevada
Call (775) 782-9177 first. A knocked-out permanent tooth needs to be back in the socket within an hour. Facial swelling with fever or difficulty breathing or swallowing is an emergency room visit, not a dental one. Most other dental pain needs same-day attention but is not life-threatening.
Go to an emergency room, not a dentist, if
- •You have difficulty breathing or swallowing
- •Facial swelling that is spreading toward the eye or down the neck
- •Fever alongside facial swelling
- •Uncontrolled bleeding that does not slow with firm pressure after 15 minutes
- •Jaw trauma where a fracture is possible, or any head injury with loss of consciousness
Spreading dental infection is genuinely dangerous and occasionally fatal. If any of the above applies, stop reading and get to an emergency department.
Otherwise, call us the same day
We are open Tuesday through Thursday, 8am to 5pm, with Monday and Friday available by inquiry. We hold same-day slots for emergencies specifically because dental pain rarely improves on its own and frequently escalates overnight.
Call rather than using the online form. The form is checked during business hours; the phone gets you a person.
The five most common emergencies
Knocked-out permanent tooth
Handle the crown only, never the root. Do not scrub it. Rinse gently with milk or saline, reinsert into the socket if you can, and bite softly on a cloth. If reinsertion is not possible, keep it moist in milk. Call immediately.
Severe toothache
Rinse with warm salt water. Take ibuprofen rather than aspirin, which thins blood and can worsen bleeding if treatment is needed. Cold compress outside the cheek. Do not place aspirin against the gum; it burns tissue.
Cracked or fractured tooth
Rinse, apply a cold compress, and avoid chewing on that side. A crack tends to propagate with every bite, so this is not one to sit on.
Lost crown or filling
Keep the crown if you have it. Over-the-counter temporary cement protects the exposed dentine until you are seen. Do not use household glue.
Abscess or swelling
This is infection. It will not resolve without treatment. Call the same day, and read the emergency room criteria above first.
In this guide
A tooth has been knocked out. What to do right now.
Pick the tooth up by the crown, never the root. Do not scrub it. Rinse briefly with milk or saline, put it back in the socket if you can, and bite…
Why toothaches get worse at night, and what helps until morning
Toothaches worsen at night mainly because lying flat increases blood pressure in the head, which raises pressure inside an already inflamed tooth.…
A crown or filling came out. How urgent is it?
Keep the crown if you have it, because it can often be re-cemented. Cover the exposed tooth with over-the-counter temporary dental cement, avoid…
Looking for the service page instead? See Dental Emergencies at Korcek Dental.
Quick answers
Still have questions?
Talk to a person. We would rather answer a question than have you guess.