Chipped, Cracked, or Knocked Out? Your Step-by-Step Dental Emergency Guide

Dental emergencies have terrible timing — the holiday weekend, the vacation, the Friday evening cookout. This is the guide to bookmark before you need it, because in a few of these situations, the first 30 minutes decide everything. (In Canal Winchester? We hold same-day time for emergencies — call (614) 831-0754.)

Knocked-out permanent tooth — the true 30-minute emergency

1. Find the tooth and pick it up by the crown (the white chewing part). Never touch the root — its surface cells are what allow re-attachment.
2. If dirty, rinse gently for a few seconds with milk or water. No scrubbing, no soap, no wrapping in tissue (it dries the root out).
3. Best option: place it back in the socket, facing the right way, and hold it with gentle bite pressure on gauze or cloth.
4. Can't reseat it? Keep it in milk — or tucked inside the cheek if the patient is an adult who won't swallow it. Milk keeps root cells alive; water does not.
5. Get to a dentist within 30–60 minutes. Reimplanted quickly, many teeth can be saved for life.

One exception: never reinsert a baby tooth — it can damage the adult tooth forming underneath. Head in anyway so we can check.

Chipped or broken tooth

Rinse with warm water, save any pieces in milk, and use a cold compress for swelling. A small chip can usually wait a day or two; a large break — especially one that hurts or shows a pink/red center — needs same-day attention, because the nerve may be exposed. Cover sharp edges with sugar-free gum or drugstore dental wax to protect your tongue.

Severe toothache or swelling

Rinse with warm salt water, floss gently (a trapped popcorn hull causes more "emergencies" than you'd believe), and take ibuprofen or acetaminophen as directed. Never place aspirin against the gum — it burns tissue. A persistent, throbbing ache or facial swelling suggests infection, which won't resolve on its own and can become serious. If swelling affects your breathing or swallowing, or you have a fever with facial swelling, go to the ER — that's a medical emergency.

Lost filling or crown

Not usually urgent, but don't wait weeks — teeth shift and the exposed tooth is fragile. A crown can be temporarily reseated with a dab of toothpaste or drugstore dental cement (never household glue). Chew on the other side and call for a visit within a few days.

Bitten lip or tongue that won't stop bleeding

Clean gently, apply firm pressure with gauze for 10–15 minutes, and ice the outside. If bleeding hasn't slowed after 15 minutes of steady pressure, seek urgent care.

The bottom line

When in doubt, call — describing what happened takes two minutes, and we can tell you whether it's a "come in now," a "tomorrow is fine," or a "here's what to do at home." That call is always free, and it's what we're here for.