After-Hours Toothache
Where to turn while we're closed, safe ways to keep the pain in check until morning, the warning signs that mean hospital, and what happens when you come to see us.
Who Can Help with Toothache at Night or at the Weekend in Lanark?
When Lanark Smile Studios is closed, the number to ring is NHS 24 on 111. They'll talk through your symptoms and, if it really can't wait, book you in with an urgent dental service. Head to A&E instead for facial swelling that's affecting your breathing or swallowing, bleeding you can't stop, or an injury to the face. Once we're open again, call us on 01555 662441 and we'll see you that day for an emergency appointment, £85.
When Toothache Means A&E
Toothache can be miserable, but in most cases it's safe to look after at home until a dentist can see you. There are exceptions, and these shouldn't be left until we reopen:
- Swelling of the face or jaw that's making it hard to breathe, swallow or open your mouth
- A swelling that's getting bigger fast, closing an eye or moving down into the neck
- Facial swelling together with a high temperature and feeling really ill
- Bleeding in the mouth that hasn't stopped after 20 minutes of steady, firm pressure
- A hard blow to the face or jaw, particularly if you lost consciousness or your teeth suddenly don't meet properly
If any of these apply, call 999 or go to A&E. A hospital can drain an infection that's spreading, give antibiotics through a drip and treat a broken jaw. A dental practice can't do any of those.
Who to Ring While We're Closed
We're open Monday to Thursday, 9am to 5.30pm, and Friday, 9am to 5pm. Closed at weekends. At any other time, these are your options:
- NHS 24 on 111. The call is free from mobiles and landlines, and the line is open round the clock. Say you have dental pain. A clinician will go through it with you and, if you need one, arrange an urgent NHS dental appointment
- Your local pharmacy. A pharmacist can suggest painkillers that won't clash with anything else you take, and many pharmacies open on Saturdays
- Members of our dental plans have out-of-hours cover included, as explained on the dental plans page
NHS 24 will help you whether or not you're registered with a dentist anywhere. If you can't tell whether your pain is urgent, they'll decide that with you. Please don't email us about pain overnight, because nobody will read it until we're next open.
Still in Pain When We Reopen?
Phone us as soon as the lines open and we'll see you the same day.
Keeping the Pain Down Until Morning
- Take a standard painkiller at the dose on the packet. Most people use paracetamol or ibuprofen. If you're pregnant, are on other medicines, or have asthma or a stomach or kidney condition, ask a pharmacist or NHS 24 which one suits you
- Raise your head with an extra pillow when you sleep, which eases the pressure inside the tooth
- Swish gently with warm water mixed with a teaspoon of salt, a few times through the evening
- Brush and floss carefully around the painful tooth. Food stuck there often adds to the ache
- If your face is swollen, hold a towel-wrapped cold pack on the cheek for ten minutes, then take it off for ten
- Eat on the other side, and steer clear of food and drinks that are sugary, very hot or very cold
If you've lost a filling or crown and there's a sharp edge, press a small piece of sugar-free gum over it to stop it cutting your tongue overnight.
What Not to Do
- Holding aspirin or any other tablet against the tooth or gum. It burns the gum and never reaches the nerve
- Going over the recommended dose, or taking two remedies that contain the same medicine. Check with a pharmacist or NHS 24 first
- Using alcohol to numb the pain, especially alongside painkillers
- Bursting or poking at a swollen gum
- Pulling at a loose tooth or a broken fragment
- Gluing a crown back on with superglue
- Relying on leftover antibiotics from an old course. They're seldom the right medicine or the right amount
Why Toothache Is Worse Lying Down
Lying flat sends more blood towards your head. An inflamed nerve is shut inside the hard walls of the tooth, so it can't expand, and that rise in pressure is why a dull ache in the day becomes a pounding one in the small hours. With nothing else to think about, you notice it more too.
Toothache that wakes you, or comes on by itself with nothing hot, cold or sweet to trigger it, usually means the pulp at the centre of the tooth is inflamed or infected. Painkillers may dull it, but this kind of pain seldom goes away for good without treatment. The tooth will need attention, often a dressing or removal of the nerve tissue, as our root canal guide describes.
Be wary if a tooth that has been very painful for days suddenly goes quiet. That can mean the nerve has died, but the infection hasn't gone and may turn into an abscess, so you still need to be seen.
Getting Seen by Us When We Reopen
Ring 01555 662441 as soon as we're open. Every day we're open, we keep emergency appointments free, and you don't need to be registered with us to have one. The appointment is £85, and dental plan members pay nothing. 1 New patients can also book an emergency appointment online.
We see people from all over Clydesdale. Whether you're coming from Carluke, Lesmahagow, Biggar or just across the river in Kirkfieldbank, our getting here page will help you find us at 72 High Street.
What Happens at Your Appointment
The dentist who sees you, usually Dr Akça, Dr Flessas or Dr Gray, will ask where the pain is and when it started, test the tooth, and take an X-ray if it's needed. The goal is for you to leave hurting less than when you arrived.
| The cause | Usual treatment on the day |
|---|---|
| Nerve inflamed or infected | The nerve tissue is removed and a dressing placed, £110 |
| Filling lost or broken | A temporary filling, £70 |
| Crown come off, tooth healthy | The crown is cleaned and fixed back on, £70 |
| An abscess | The abscess is drained and its cause treated, with antibiotics only if the infection is spreading |
| Tooth beyond saving | Taken out the same day if you'd like, £125 |
We'll tell you the fee before any treatment begins, and you'll get a written plan for the long-term repair to read through at home. 1 If a tooth has been broken or knocked out, our dental emergencies guide covers what to do.
Questions
This guide is general information, not a diagnosis. A dentist needs to examine you to say what is right for your teeth.