These are the steps to take over the next half hour.
Urgent Dental Care Orlando points you toward a dentist with room to see you today. Until you are in the chair, this page walks you through what to do, one type of emergency at a time.
Fig. 1
A toothache quickly turns into a phone call. Ideally, it is a brief one.
Open the chapter that matches what is happening. The notes are short enough to follow with a phone in your other hand.
An adult tooth that is replaced within about half an hour has a good chance of taking hold again. Once an hour has gone by, the chances drop sharply.
Living cells coat the root and are what let the tooth bond to the jaw again. Open air dries them out within minutes. Milk keeps them healthy, while tap water makes them swell and burst.
Baby teeth follow other rules. Never press a primary tooth back into place. Call a dentist and take the tooth along.
If the pain jolts you awake or drags on beyond a full day, the nerve is probably affected. That kind of ache rarely fades without treatment.
Often a cavity or crack has worked its way into the pulp, the soft core of the tooth. Warning signs include pain that hangs around after hot or cold drinks and throbbing that worsens when you lie flat. A dentist can relieve it the same day.
A tiny chip can often hold until tomorrow. A break that aches, bleeds, or reveals a pink spot in the middle should not be put off.
Check the exposed surface. White or yellowish means the break stopped in the enamel or dentin. A pink or red dot signals an exposed nerve, and that calls for a same-day visit.
A tooth infection will not clear up on its own. If ignored, it can spread.
If a bad ache suddenly disappears, the nerve may have died while the infection carries on spreading.
Go to an emergency room or call 911 if breathing or swallowing becomes difficult, if swelling moves up to the eye or down the neck, or if you develop a high fever.
Seldom urgent on the first day. It turns into a problem when the tooth underneath stays uncovered.
A tooth that wore a crown was trimmed down and has little enamel remaining. Left bare, it can decay or crack fast.
While you wait
Sit with your head propped up and press something cool on the outside of the cheek. Skip the aspirin on the gum and chew on the other side.
After that, make the call. Within a minute or two, a dentist can usually say whether it can hold until morning.
American dentists label adult teeth 1 through 32. Tap the tooth that hurts and give its number when you phone.
Upper right
8
Fig. 2
In the chair, expect an exam, an X-ray, and then a treatment plan. These are illustrative photos; Urgent Dental Care Orlando links you with a participating dentist.
Fig. 3
Most emergencies wrap up the same way: the pain settles and you leave with a plan.
A tooth that has been knocked out or knocked loose, bleeding that will not slow down, a swollen face or gum, and an ache strong enough to keep you up at night. A tiny painless chip, or a filling that fell out without hurting, can usually hold for a day or two.
Choose the hospital ER if you struggle to breathe or swallow, if swelling is creeping toward your eye or neck, if you suspect a broken jaw, or if bleeding will not stop. For nearly everything else, a dentist is the better stop. An ER can calm pain and start treating infection, but it generally cannot repair the tooth.
Frequently, yes. The odds are best when the tooth goes back into its socket quickly, and a tooth kept moist in milk still has a fair chance for roughly an hour or so. The longer it sits dry, the weaker the outcome gets.
Call the number on this page and describe what happened. Should no office be able to see you before morning, the steps in this guide are the same ones a dentist would walk you through in the meantime. Visitors staying in a hotel near the parks can call too; you do not need to be a local.
Ibuprofen or acetaminophen from the drugstore, used exactly as the package says, along with a cold pack held against the cheek. Keep aspirin off the gum, since it can burn the tissue.
Leave a baby tooth out; pushing it back can harm the adult tooth forming underneath. Hold gauze on the spot until bleeding stops, then phone so a dentist can make sure no fragment remains in the gum.
Describe what happened and which tooth is involved. We will look for an Orlando-area dentist with an opening today.
Eight short guides, written for someone reading them one-handed at two in the morning. If you would rather just ask, call 407-634-1631.
Emergencies, one page each
Every guide above is written for Orlando specifically — Orlando prices, Orlando hours, Orlando dentists. If you have been searching for an emergency dentist near me, one phone call finds the office with a free chair faster than a map does. Start with the full list of answers or the emergency services we handle.
Call now
Same-day openings fill up. Phone now and we will put you in touch with an Orlando emergency dentist.
Leave your number and we will ring you. If it is urgent, dial 407-634-1631 directly.