May 6, 2025

Dental Emergencies

What Is A Dental Emergency?

Dental emergencies can have many causes, including accidents, sports-related injuries, tooth decay and infection.

You may have a dental emergency if you have any of the following:

• a traumatic injury to your mouth, jaw or teeth
• severe pain that you cannot control with over-the-counter pain medication
• uncontrolled bleeding
• severe swelling in your mouth, face or neck

NOTE: If you have trouble breathing or your mouth continuously fills with blood, call 9-1-1 or go to your nearest hospital emergency department.

Contacting A Dentist

All dentists in B.C. are required to provide patients with emergency dental care when the need arises. If a dentist is unavailable, he or she is expected to make other arrangements so that a dentist on call or another service can help patients in need. It is important that you, or someone with you, provide the dentist with an accurate description of your problem, including whether you have had any recent dental work done.

What To Expect

Once the dentist reviews your situation over the phone, he or she may meet you right away or see you as soon as possible during regular office hours. He or she may also refer you to another dentist or to your local hospital if appropriate.

The dentist may tell you things you can do at home to help ease your symptoms and may also prescribe medication by phone. It is important to follow the instructions given to you.

Patients can also contact Healthlink BC by visiting www.HealthlinkBC.ca online or by phoning 8-1-1. This 24-hour-a-day service gives you easy access to non-emergency health and dental information and services. You will be able to speak to a registered nurse about your symptoms, get more details about your condition or speak to a pharmacist about your medication questions.

Preventing Dental Emergencies

Not all dental emergencies can be prevented but you can take steps to reduce problems that can lead to an emergency.

• practice good oral hygiene and see a dentist regularly
• see a dentist as soon as pain or problems start- before they become severe
• wear protective equipment like mouth guards and helmets when playing sports
• wear seatbelts while riding in a car

Ref: Sponsored by The College of Dental Surgeons of BC, and the British Columbia Dental Association