Dental Emergencies – Stuart Duncan

Dental Emergencies

Dental emergencies can happen unexpectedly, and knowing what to do and where to seek care can help you get the treatment you need as quickly as possible.

The first port of call should always be your own dentist. If you are not registered with a dentist, this is a good time to change that. See Register as an NHS Patient or Find a Dentist for further help with this.

What counts as a dental emergency?

A dental emergency is a problem that requires urgent attention to relieve severe pain, prevent further damage, or reduce the risk of serious infection.

Examples of dental emergencies include:

Severe or persistent toothache.
Dental pain affecting your quality of life or ability to function normally.
A trauma resulting in damage or movement of a tooth.
Dental abscesses or swelling.
Uncontrolled bleeding following a procedure.

Not every dental problem requires emergency treatment. However, if you are in significant pain or are concerned that your condition may be getting worse, it is important to seek professional advice.

Accessing an emergency dentist in the UK

For almost all of Great Britain including Scotland and England, it is possible to seek an emergency dentist by calling NHS 111 during evenings and weekends. In Scotland you will only be able to seek an emergency dentist during evenings and weekends if you are registered with a general dentist, as you are expected to contact them in the first instance.

However, some areas have their own protocols to this, especially during daytime hours, and it may be worth searching online to see if your local NHS Trust has a more direct number for accessing emergency dental care. For example, during daytime hours in Glasgow, you can phone 0141 232 6323 if you are not currently registered with a dentist. In Carlisle, the daytime number is 01228 603900. And in North Lancashire including Lancaster and Morecambe, the best number is 0300 1234 010 for Dental Direct at all times of the day.

Private emergency dentists are also available in many areas and may offer urgent appointments, including outside normal working hours. Availability, fees and treatment options can vary between practices, so it is worth checking these details before attending.

When to seek urgent medical attention for your dental problem

Some symptoms require immediate medical attention rather than waiting for a dental appointment.

Call 999 or attend A&E if you have significant swelling that is making it difficult to breathe or swallow. Be aware of the signs of systemic infections and sepsis, which include vomiting, slurred speech, new confusion, difficulty breathing, a feeling of impending doom, very high temperature, or skin that has gone discoloured. If you experience any of these symptoms do not seek an emergency dentist and instead seek help directly from A&E.

A&E departments do not provide routine dental treatment. For urgent dental problems without life-threatening symptoms, your own dentist, an emergency dentist or NHS urgent dental service is always the appropriate first point of contact. Do not attend A&E for toothache or other dental problems that do not involve the type of symptoms mentioned above.

Trauma resulting in a tooth coming out

The biggest factor involved in successful treatment following a tooth being knocked out (avulsion) is the time in which you receive care. If your tooth is entirely out of your mouth, it may be appropriate to head towards your nearest dentist or urgent dental service so you are on route as you arrange an appointment. Many A&E services will help a patient with an avulsed tooth, and this may be the only exception to the comments above assuming you have first sought other means of getting care from a dentist.

While you arrange further care, do not let the tooth dry out. The best storage medium for a tooth is saliva – fill a cup with your saliva or store the tooth in your cheek. Milk is also a good option and saline (mild salt water) is also acceptable although not ideal. Do not use ordinary water. Avoid touching the root of the tooth as far as possible. Do not try to clean the tooth – a dentist or doctor will be able to do this safely prior to reimplantation, and cleaning the tooth yourself may damage it and prevent future healing.

If you are feeling particularly brave you can attempt to reimplant the tooth yourself, as long as you feel confident you know what you are doing and believe the tooth to be clean. Do not attempt this if you are not sure you can do it safely.

Don’t let problems develop

Don’t wait until your dental issues become serious. Find a dentist or register with Stuart as an NHS patient before you are facing these kind of issues.