Guide · Emergencies

Toothache or dental emergency? What to do tonight in Edinburgh

Dental problems have a habit of starting at 9pm on a Sunday. Here’s what to do right now for the common ones, what can safely wait until morning, and the two situations that shouldn’t wait at all.

Toothache

• Pain relief: ordinary painkillers as directed on the packet. Never put a tablet against the gum or tooth — it burns the tissue and doesn’t help.
• Avoid the triggers: very hot, cold or sweet food and drink on that side; chew on the other side.
• Rinse: warm salt water can ease a sore gum around the tooth.
• What it usually means: throbbing pain that wakes you, or pain that lingers after hot or cold, often means the nerve of the tooth is inflamed or infected — that’s a root canal or extraction conversation, and painkillers only buy time. Book the same day.

A knocked-out adult tooth

The one dental emergency where minutes matter.

1. Pick it up by the crown (the white part) — never the root.
2. If it’s dirty, rinse briefly in milk or water. Don’t scrub it.
3. If you can, put it back in the socket the right way round and bite gently on a clean cloth to hold it.
4. If you can’t, keep it in milk (or inside your cheek if you’re an adult and won’t swallow it) — not water, not a tissue.
5. Get to a dentist within the hour if at all possible. Baby teeth are not replanted.

A broken or chipped tooth

Keep any large piece (in milk), rinse your mouth with warm water, and avoid chewing on that side. A sharp edge cutting your tongue or cheek can be covered with sugar-free chewing gum until you’re seen. If the tooth is very painful or you can see pink inside it, the nerve may be exposed — book the same day. A small chip with no pain can wait for a normal appointment and is often repaired with composite bonding.

Lost filling or crown

Keep the crown if you have it — it can often be re-cemented. Keep the tooth clean and avoid sticky or hard food on it. Temporary filling material from a pharmacy can cover a sensitive hole for a day or two. It rarely needs to be seen the same night, but book within a few days: an exposed tooth decays and cracks quickly.

Swelling or an abscess

A swollen gum or a “pimple” on the gum near a tooth is usually an abscess — infection from a dead nerve or deep gum pocket. A cold compress on the outside of the face helps; don’t apply heat, and don’t try to burst it. It needs draining and the tooth treating, so book the same day. Antibiotics alone don’t fix it. If the swelling is spreading towards the eye or neck, or affects swallowing or breathing, that’s the 999 situation above.

Bleeding after an extraction

Some oozing for a few hours is normal. Bite firmly on a clean, damp gauze or handkerchief for 20 minutes without checking; repeat once if needed. Avoid rinsing, smoking, alcohol and hot drinks for the first day. If it’s still bleeding freely after two rounds of pressure, call us, or 111 out of hours.

Wisdom tooth pain

Usually the gum over a partly-erupted tooth becoming infected. Warm salt-water rinses, keeping the area as clean as you can, and painkillers get most people through the night; if there’s swelling or you can’t open your mouth properly, book the same day. Our guide on when wisdom teeth need removing covers what happens next.

How same-day appointments work at City Dental Care

• You don’t need to be registered with us.
• Private emergency appointment: £85, including a prescription if needed. Bookable online. Anything beyond that visit is quoted in writing first.
• NHS emergencies: call 0131 228 2442 and reception will fit you in.
• Hours: until 8pm Monday to Thursday, 5pm Friday — Earl Grey Street, a short walk from Haymarket, parking in the building.
• Imaging on site: X-rays, OPG and CBCT, so the cause is found the same visit.