Tooth pain that keeps me awakeSee a dentist today
Tooth pain that wakes you at night or throbs for minutes after hot or cold usually means the nerve inside the tooth is inflamed or infected, and at that stage a filling is rarely enough — it generally needs root canal treatment to settle.
What to do now: Take the painkiller you normally tolerate, rinse with warm salt water, and keep your head raised, because lying flat increases the pressure and the pain. Never put aspirin directly on the gum. Get it seen rather than waiting for it to pass.
Usually needs: Root Canal Treatment, Emergency Dental Care
Swelling in my face or jawSee a dentist today
Facial swelling alongside dental pain means an infection has spread beyond the tooth, and it needs to be seen the same day — swelling that reaches your eye, or that makes swallowing or breathing difficult, is a hospital emergency rather than a dental appointment.
What to do now: If your eye is closing, your neck is swelling, or swallowing and breathing are affected, go to the nearest hospital emergency department immediately. Otherwise contact the clinic today. Antibiotics alone will not resolve it, because the source is inside the tooth.
Usually needs: Emergency Dental Care, Root Canal Treatment
Bleeding gums when I brush
Gums that bleed when you brush are inflamed, almost always from plaque and hardened deposits at the gum line — healthy gums do not bleed, so it is a sign of early gum disease rather than of brushing too hard.
What to do now: Do not stop brushing the area, which is the instinct and makes it worse. Brush gently but thoroughly, floss daily, and book a scaling appointment. Caught at this stage it is entirely reversible; left for years it becomes the leading cause of tooth loss.
Usually needs: Emergency Dental Care, Dental Implants
A missing tooth or a gap
A missing tooth can be replaced with an implant, a bridge or a denture, and the right choice depends on how much jawbone remains and on whether the teeth either side of the gap are healthy — which is why it starts with an X-ray.
What to do now: Do not leave it indefinitely. The neighbouring teeth tilt into the space, the opposing tooth drifts down, and the jawbone in that area shrinks over the years — all of which narrow your options later. A consultation establishes what is still possible.
Usually needs: Dental Implants, Crowns & Bridges
Crooked or crowded teeth
Crooked and crowded teeth are straightened with braces or clear aligners, and adults can be treated at any age — what determines suitability is gum health rather than how old you are.
What to do now: Book an assessment, which includes photographs, an X-ray and impressions or a scan, and produces a plan with the timeline and cost for your own teeth. If your gums bleed or are inflamed, that is treated first, because moving teeth through unhealthy gums damages them.
Usually needs: Braces & Clear Aligners, Smile Design & Veneers
A broken or chipped toothSee a dentist today
A broken tooth should be looked at the same day even when it does not hurt, because how deep the fracture goes decides whether it needs a filling, a crown, or root canal treatment — and a tooth that cracks below the gum line can rarely be saved.
What to do now: Keep any pieces, rinse your mouth with warm water, and cover a sharp edge with sugar-free gum if it is cutting your tongue. Avoid biting on that side. Painlessness is not reassurance here; it only means the nerve has not been reached yet.
Usually needs: Crowns & Bridges, Emergency Dental Care, Root Canal Treatment
Teeth that are sensitive to cold
Short, sharp sensitivity to cold that stops as soon as the cold is removed is usually exposed dentine from gum recession or worn enamel, and it is treatable — but pain that lingers for minutes afterwards is a different problem and points to the nerve.
What to do now: Switch to a sensitive-teeth toothpaste and a soft brush, and stop brushing hard, which is a common cause rather than a cure. If the ache lasts well after the cold has gone, or wakes you at night, have it assessed properly rather than managing it with toothpaste.
Usually needs: Root Canal Treatment, Crowns & Bridges
Stained or discoloured teeth
Teeth dulled by tea, coffee, tobacco or paan usually respond well to professional whitening, but a single dark tooth is a different matter — that normally means the nerve inside it has died and needs treatment rather than bleaching.
What to do now: Have it looked at before buying anything. Whitening gel does not change the colour of crowns, veneers or white fillings, so if you have any on your front teeth, whitening the rest can leave a visible mismatch. A five-minute check establishes which situation you are in.
Usually needs: Teeth Whitening, Smile Design & Veneers, Root Canal Treatment
A denture that moves or slips
A denture that slips when you eat or speak can often be improved by relining or remaking it, and can be solved far more definitively with implants that hold it firmly in place.
What to do now: Bring the denture with you to the consultation. How much jawbone remains determines whether relining is enough or whether implant support is the better answer, and that is established with an X-ray. Denture adhesive is a temporary measure, not a fix.
Usually needs: Dental Implants, Crowns & Bridges
Bad breath that will not go away
Persistent bad breath most often comes from bacteria on the tongue and around the gum line, or from an untreated cavity or gum infection — and when it has a dental cause, mouthwash masks it for an hour rather than treating it.
What to do now: Clean your tongue as well as your teeth, floss daily, and drink more water. If it persists despite that, it needs examining, because a hidden cavity or gum pocket is a common and entirely treatable cause.
Usually needs: Emergency Dental Care, Root Canal Treatment
Jaw pain, clicking, or grinding at night
Jaw pain with clicking, or waking with a tight jaw and headaches, commonly points to clenching and grinding during sleep, which wears teeth down and cracks fillings over time — a night guard is the usual protection.
What to do now: Note when it is worst, since it often tracks stress and poor sleep. Have the wear on your teeth assessed, because grinding damage accumulates silently for years. If you already have crowns or veneers, protecting them matters more, not less.
Usually needs: Crowns & Bridges, Smile Design & Veneers
My child has toothache or a dark spot on a tooth
A decayed milk tooth does need treating, despite the common belief that it does not matter because the tooth will fall out anyway — it causes pain, disturbs eating and sleeping, and can damage the adult tooth developing directly underneath it.
What to do now: Book a check-up rather than waiting for it to worsen, and avoid telling your child it will not hurt, which plants the idea that it might. Caught at the white-spot stage, early decay can sometimes be arrested without a filling at all.
Usually needs: Kids' Dentistry, Emergency Dental Care