30 seconds to know, urgent or not
Most tooth pain isn't a true emergency. But some is — and the difference matters, because waiting too long on the wrong kind of pain turns a small filling into a root canal, or worse, a hospital visit.
The five-flag framework below is the standard triage criteria used in dental emergency guidelines. It's not a substitute for a real diagnosis, but it's a reliable way to work out what to do in the next hour.
The five flags that mean "call now"
1. Visible swelling of face, jaw, or gum
Swelling means infection — bacteria have escaped the tooth and reached surrounding tissue. Facial swelling that's spreading (especially upward toward the eye, or downward toward the neck) is a medical emergency, not just a dental one. We see you same-day; if you can't reach us, go to a hospital ED.
2. Pain that wakes you up or stops you eating
Pain that goes away when you drink something cold, or that's only triggered by sweets, is usually sensitivity or a small cavity — not urgent. Pain that throbs at rest, wakes you at 3am, or makes you skip meals is telling you the nerve is in trouble. The sooner it's assessed, the more likely the tooth can be saved.
3. Fever, or feeling unwell overall
A dental infection with systemic symptoms (fever, fatigue, feeling "off") means the bacteria are in your bloodstream. This is genuinely dangerous — dental sepsis is rare but serious. Same-day appointment, always.
4. Pain after trauma
Hit in the face, bike fall, sports injury — any sudden pain after trauma needs assessment within 24 hours, even if the tooth "feels fine now." Trauma can crack roots invisibly and kill nerves that only start hurting weeks later.
5. Bad taste or visible pus
Means an abscess has burst and is draining. Counterintuitively, the pain often *reduces* when this happens — don't let that fool you. The infection is still there. Same-day appointment.
The pattern that leads to the worst outcomes: pain dismissed for a week, then a weekend, then another week, because it "wasn't that bad" at any single point. Tooth infections don't resolve themselves — they just escalate slowly. Published dental infection guidelines consistently stress early recognition as the single biggest factor in good outcomes.
What probably isn't an emergency
- Sensitivity to cold or sweet — usually a sensitivity toothpaste fix, sometimes a small filling
- Sore gums after flossing — gingivitis, fixes with better flossing + a clean
- Jaw ache on one side in the morning — likely grinding; see our night guards page
- Dull ache that comes and goes — book within 2 weeks, not today
What to do while you wait for your appointment
- Call us or a pharmacist for pain-relief guidance — your pharmacist can recommend the right over-the-counter option for your situation, taking into account any conditions or medications you're on
- Cold pack on the outside of the face (not heat — heat makes infection worse)
- Salt water rinses — warm, gentle, every couple of hours
- Keep your head elevated when sleeping — reduces throbbing
- Avoid chewing on that side — don't aggravate it
What not to do: ignore swelling hoping it'll go down, try to drain an abscess yourself, or use medications that weren't prescribed for you. If pain is severe or worsening, don't wait — call us or head to an emergency dental service.
If you're reading this with pain right now, head to our Emergency page — it has specific "while you wait" instructions for each type of dental emergency, plus our same-day booking line.