{"id":126,"date":"2025-10-02T13:59:40","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T13:59:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/?p=126"},"modified":"2025-10-14T13:59:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T13:59:51","slug":"when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\/","title":{"rendered":"When to Seek Urgent Dental Care"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-medium\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AdobeStock_274216628__5___1760450293_10773-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Woman in pain in dentist's chair. \" class=\"wp-image-127\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AdobeStock_274216628__5___1760450293_10773-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AdobeStock_274216628__5___1760450293_10773-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AdobeStock_274216628__5___1760450293_10773.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>Toothaches and dental discomfort can happen at any time, but not every issue requires an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/emergency-dentistry.html\">emergency trip<\/a> to the dentist. Knowing when to seek urgent dental care can help you prevent pain, infection, and long-term damage to your smile. Some dental problems can wait a day or two, while others need immediate attention to save a tooth or stop an infection from spreading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a helpful guide on when to seek urgent dental care and why acting quickly can make all the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Severe or Persistent Tooth Pain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A mild toothache might come from temporary irritation or food stuck between teeth, but severe, throbbing, or lingering pain is a sign that something more serious is going on. Common causes include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Deep cavities reaching the nerve.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Infected or abscessed teeth.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cracked or damaged enamel.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If over-the-counter pain relievers don\u2019t help or the pain wakes you up at night, you should call your dentist right away. Ignoring this type of pain can allow infection to spread, potentially requiring more extensive treatment like a root canal or extraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Swelling in the Face, Jaw, or Gums<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Swelling around your mouth or jaw is a red flag that you might have an infection or abscess, which is a pocket of pus caused by bacteria. Dental abscesses can spread rapidly and become dangerous if untreated, even affecting your ability to breathe or swallow in severe cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you notice swelling, tenderness, or a bad taste in your mouth \u2014 especially accompanied by fever \u2014 seek urgent dental care or go to an emergency room. Prompt treatment is essential to drain the infection and protect your overall health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Broken, Cracked, or Knocked-Out Tooth<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Accidents happen, and when they involve your teeth, time is critical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Broken or cracked tooth<\/strong>: Even if it doesn\u2019t hurt right away, bacteria can enter through the damaged area and cause infection. Save any broken pieces and call your dentist immediately.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Knocked-out tooth<\/strong>: Handle it by the crown (the top part), not the root, and gently rinse it with water if it\u2019s dirty. Try to place it back in its socket or store it in milk. Then, get to a dentist within 30 to 60 minutes \u2014 fast action can often save the tooth.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bleeding That Doesn\u2019t Stop<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Minor bleeding from brushing or flossing too hard isn\u2019t usually serious, but bleeding that continues for more than 10 to 15 minutes after an injury or dental procedure needs professional attention. Persistent bleeding could also signal gum disease or a deeper infection that needs urgent treatment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lost or Damaged Dental Restorations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If a filling, crown, or bridge comes loose or falls out, your tooth is left unprotected and vulnerable. Without immediate care, bacteria can enter and cause decay or sensitivity. Contact your dentist right away for a repair or temporary solution until a permanent fix can be made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dental emergencies can escalate quickly. If you experience severe pain, swelling, bleeding, or trauma, don\u2019t try to \u201cwait it out.\u201d Seeking urgent dental care protects not only your smile but your overall health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/meet-dr-bal.html\">Dr. Gus Bal<\/a> is a 1994 graduate of the Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine. After graduating, he completed a fellowship in Implant Dentistry at NYU. He is continually and expanding and updating his knowledge to provide his patients with the best dental care possible. Dr. Bal has also been voted \u201cBest Dentist in Scarborough\u201d by the Readers Choice Awards for 4 consecutive years, most recently in 2017. If you\u2019ve found yourself in a dental emergency, don\u2019t delay \u2013 schedule an appointment <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/contact.html\">online<\/a> or call (613) 228-8768.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Toothaches and dental discomfort can happen at any time, but not every issue requires an emergency trip to the dentist. Knowing when to seek urgent dental care can help you prevent pain, infection, and long-term damage to your smile. Some dental problems can wait a day or two, while others need immediate attention to save [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>When to Seek Urgent Dental Care - Nepean Dental Centre Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is that nagging toothache an urgent situation, or can you hold off until your next checkup? Here\u2019s a guide to when to seek urgent care.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"When to Seek Urgent Dental Care - Nepean Dental Centre Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Is that nagging toothache an urgent situation, or can you hold off until your next checkup? Here\u2019s a guide to when to seek urgent care.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Nepean Dental Centre Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-02T13:59:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-14T13:59:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AdobeStock_274216628__5___1760450293_10773-300x200.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nepeandentcentre\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Nepeandentcentre\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nepeandentcentre\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/44dbc9c403deb725403327995bd7caae\"},\"headline\":\"When to Seek Urgent Dental Care\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-02T13:59:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-14T13:59:51+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":599,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/AdobeStock_274216628__5___1760450293_10773-300x200.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\\\/\",\"name\":\"When to Seek Urgent Dental Care - Nepean Dental Centre Blog\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/AdobeStock_274216628__5___1760450293_10773-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-02T13:59:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-14T13:59:51+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/44dbc9c403deb725403327995bd7caae\"},\"description\":\"Is that nagging toothache an urgent situation, or can you hold off until your next checkup? Here\u2019s a guide to when to seek urgent care.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/AdobeStock_274216628__5___1760450293_10773.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/10\\\/AdobeStock_274216628__5___1760450293_10773.jpg\",\"width\":800,\"height\":534},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"When to Seek Urgent Dental Care\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"Nepean Dental Centre Blog\",\"description\":\"\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/44dbc9c403deb725403327995bd7caae\",\"name\":\"Nepeandentcentre\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/nepeandentcentre\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"When to Seek Urgent Dental Care - Nepean Dental Centre Blog","description":"Is that nagging toothache an urgent situation, or can you hold off until your next checkup? Here\u2019s a guide to when to seek urgent care.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"When to Seek Urgent Dental Care - Nepean Dental Centre Blog","og_description":"Is that nagging toothache an urgent situation, or can you hold off until your next checkup? Here\u2019s a guide to when to seek urgent care.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\/","og_site_name":"Nepean Dental Centre Blog","article_published_time":"2025-10-02T13:59:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-14T13:59:51+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AdobeStock_274216628__5___1760450293_10773-300x200.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Nepeandentcentre","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Nepeandentcentre","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\/"},"author":{"name":"Nepeandentcentre","@id":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/44dbc9c403deb725403327995bd7caae"},"headline":"When to Seek Urgent Dental Care","datePublished":"2025-10-02T13:59:40+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-14T13:59:51+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\/"},"wordCount":599,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AdobeStock_274216628__5___1760450293_10773-300x200.jpg","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\/","url":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\/","name":"When to Seek Urgent Dental Care - Nepean Dental Centre Blog","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AdobeStock_274216628__5___1760450293_10773-300x200.jpg","datePublished":"2025-10-02T13:59:40+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-14T13:59:51+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/44dbc9c403deb725403327995bd7caae"},"description":"Is that nagging toothache an urgent situation, or can you hold off until your next checkup? Here\u2019s a guide to when to seek urgent care.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AdobeStock_274216628__5___1760450293_10773.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/AdobeStock_274216628__5___1760450293_10773.jpg","width":800,"height":534},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/when-to-seek-urgent-dental-care\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"When to Seek Urgent Dental Care"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/","name":"Nepean Dental Centre Blog","description":"","inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/44dbc9c403deb725403327995bd7caae","name":"Nepeandentcentre","url":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/author\/nepeandentcentre\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":128,"href":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126\/revisions\/128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nepeandentalcentre.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}