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Emergency!

When to seek emergency care

A quick guide to how urgent a dental problem is. Some signs mean call 911 now. Some mean call your dentist today. If you are not sure, ring and ask.

Brown bear in an orange apron waving beside a lavender door with a white tooth on it

If this is happening right now

Call 911 (or your local emergency number) if your child is not waking up or is not acting normally, has trouble breathing or swallowing, has trouble opening or closing the mouth, has severe neck pain, has heavy bleeding, or has a head, neck or back injury.

What to do right now

Use these steps to decide who to call.

  • Check that your child is awake, breathing normally and acting like themselves. If not, call 911.
  • Call 911 for heavy bleeding, an airway blocked by blood or teeth, a head, neck or back injury, trouble breathing or swallowing, trouble opening or closing the mouth, or severe neck pain.
  • Call 911 or go to an emergency department for heavy swelling inside the mouth or on the face, or a swollen or painful eye.
  • Call your dentist today for a knocked-out tooth, swelling, fever or a toothache with swelling. Get medical care for any cut that may need stitches (see Lip, cheek or tongue injury).
  • If you are not sure, call your dentist or your child’s doctor and describe what you see.

What not to do

Please avoid these things:

  • Do not wait and hope if you see any of the emergency signs above.
  • Do not lift the gauze every few seconds to check bleeding. Keep pressing for the full 10 minutes.
  • Do not wait to see whether a knocked-out tooth gets better. Get dental care as soon as possible.

How to use this page

This page lists signs that need emergency help and signs that need a dentist the same day. It cannot examine your child, so it cannot tell you that a problem can safely wait. A dental office can often triage by phone, and most have an emergency arrangement outside opening hours.

What the dentist may do

If you are unsure how urgent something is, the person to ask is your dentist. A dental practice will normally be able to tell you over the phone how quickly your child needs to be seen, and outside opening hours most have an emergency arrangement. Where a child seems unwell in themselves — rather than having a problem confined to a tooth — your child’s doctor or your local emergency services are the right first call.

The specific situations covered elsewhere in this section are listed below. Each explains what has happened and what a dentist may do, and each will carry guidance for the moment itself once it is ready.

Cheerful dental office building with a tooth sign over the glass doors, flower bushes, and a ramp with purple handrails
Cozy says

If something in your mouth hurts a lot, or your face is puffy, or you had a bump and something feels wrong, tell a grown-up straight away. They will know who to ring.

I am not sure whether this counts as an emergency

I am not sure whether this counts as an emergency. Then ring and ask. Nobody minds the call, and a dental practice can triage over the phone far better than any website can. If your child has facial swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing, uncontrolled bleeding, or seems unwell in themselves, contact your local emergency services rather than waiting for a dental appointment.

Questions families ask

It follows the sources listed below, which describe signs that call for emergency care. It cannot see your child. If you are worried, trust that and call.

Your dentist, in the first instance — including out of hours, when most practices have an emergency arrangement. If your child seems unwell in themselves rather than having a problem confined to the mouth, contact your child’s doctor or your local emergency services.

Nine specific situations, listed below — injuries to teeth, injuries to the soft tissues of the mouth, swelling and infection. Each explains what has happened and what a dentist may do.

Where this comes from

The emergency signs follow the American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org), the American Red Cross, the NHS and the AAPD. The NHS page is written for the UK, so emergency numbers differ by country.

Other emergencies

See all Emergency topics

This website is for education only and does not replace care from your dentist, physician, or emergency services.