Dental emergencies: what to know and what to do

Severe or worsening toothache, facial swelling, a knocked-out permanent tooth, a fractured or badly chipped tooth, a lost crown or filling leaving a sharp or sensitive surface, bleeding that will not stop after an extraction, and injury to the lips, gums, or jaw after an accident.

Swelling that spreads toward the eye or under the jaw, or any difficulty breathing or swallowing, is a medical emergency. Go to the emergency room immediately rather than waiting for a dental appointment.

For a knocked-out permanent tooth, handle it by the crown only, rinse briefly with milk or saline if dirty, reinsert it into the socket if you can, and otherwise store it in cold milk. Get to an open dentist or emergency room within the hour — this is genuinely time critical.

For fractures, save the fragments in milk, rinse with warm water, use a cold compress on the outside of the cheek, and avoid chewing on that side. For pain, ibuprofen is far more effective for dental inflammation than aspirin, and aspirin should never be placed against the gum.

The first priority at any dental office is diagnosis and relief: an examination, a targeted X-ray, and immediate treatment of pain or infection. The situation is usually stabilized the same day even when the definitive restoration needs a later appointment.

Afterward, a good dentist explains what happened, what the permanent fix involves, and what it will cost — without pressure to commit while you are still uncomfortable.