Toothache does not keep office hours, and waiting rarely makes a dental problem smaller. We keep same-day emergency appointments for severe toothache, broken teeth, lost fillings and crowns, swellings and injuries, and a dedicated Saturday emergency clinic runs at our Silsoe clinic for problems that start at the weekend.
When to book an emergency appointment
- Toothache that painkillers do not control or that keeps you awake
- A swelling in the gum, the face or the jaw
- A tooth that has broken, cracked or been knocked loose
- A filling, a crown or a veneer that has come out
- Bleeding after an extraction that does not stop with firm pressure
- A broken denture or brace that is cutting into your mouth
When to go straight to A&E or call 999
A swelling that makes it hard to breathe, swallow or open your eye; bleeding that will not stop; or an injury to the face or jaw after a fall or a blow to the head. These need a hospital, not a dental surgery.
What happens at the appointment
The dentist asks what happened, examines the tooth and takes an X-ray if one is needed. The aim of an emergency visit is to get you out of pain and make the tooth safe: that may be a dressing, a temporary filling, draining an infection, re-cementing a crown or, where a tooth cannot be saved, taking it out. You are told what was found, what was done and what, if anything, is still needed, such as a permanent filling, root canal treatment or a crown.
What to do before you get to us
- A knocked-out adult tooth: hold it by the crown, not the root. If it is clean, push it gently back into the socket and bite on a clean cloth. If you cannot, keep it in milk. Come at once: the first hour matters.
- Toothache: take the painkiller you would normally use, following the packet. Do not put aspirin on the gum.
- A lost crown: keep it and bring it with you.
- A swelling: do not put heat on it. Antibiotics alone do not fix a dental abscess, which is why you need to be seen.
Common questions
What does it cost? The assessment has a set fee. Any treatment beyond it is explained and priced before it starts.
Will everything be fixed in one visit? The pain and the immediate problem, yes. Longer treatment is planned and priced separately, so that you can decide once you are comfortable.
I am very nervous. Can you still help? Yes. Tell us when you call. For longer treatment, sedation may be an option.
