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Emergency Dentist Covering Blackpool & Surrounding Areas

Tower Dental provides emergency dental care in Blackpool with same-day appointments for genuine emergencies. We cover patients from across the Fylde Coast and Lancashire, including Cleveleys, Fleetwood, Lytham St Annes, Poulton-le-Fylde, Bispham, Thornton and Kirkham.

Call us now on 01253 353759 if you are in severe pain, have a broken tooth, have lost a crown or have a dental abscess. We also accept emergency patients travelling from Preston, Lancaster, Garstang, Southport and across Lancashire.

Don't suffer in pain — call Tower Dental Blackpool now on 01253 353759. Our team will always do their best to see you the same day.

Emergency Dental Guide — Everything Patients in Blackpool Need to Know

A dental emergency is any situation with sudden severe pain, swelling, bleeding that will not stop, or dental trauma that needs assessing and treating straight away. With other health emergencies, people know to call 999 or go to A&E. Dental emergencies are far less clear-cut. Many patients delay getting help. Some hope the problem will settle itself. Some fear the cost. Some do not know where to turn.

This guide is written to help patients in Blackpool and across the Fylde Coast make better decisions in a dental emergency. It covers what counts as a genuine emergency. It covers what to do in the first minutes after dental trauma. It also covers when a problem is urgent enough to need A&E straight away, rather than waiting for a dental appointment.

Dental Abscess — The Emergency That Patients Most Commonly Underestimate

A dental abscess is a bacterial infection that produces a collection of pus. It forms either at the root tip of a tooth (periapical abscess) or in the gum tissue (periodontal abscess). Patients often describe the pain of an abscess as among the worst they have experienced. It is a constant, throbbing, severe ache. Over-the-counter painkillers do not fully relieve it. It frequently disturbs sleep.

The danger with a dental abscess is that dental infections do not clear up without treatment. Without drainage and antibiotics, the infection can spread. It travels along the muscles and fascial spaces (the gaps between layers of tissue) of the face and neck. In severe cases a dental abscess can spread to the floor of the mouth and the neck. In extreme cases it reaches the chest (Ludwig's angina, a potentially life-threatening condition).

Go to A&E straight away if you have any of these signs that the infection has spread:

• big facial swelling, especially below the jaw or affecting the eye
• difficulty swallowing or opening the mouth
• fever above 38°C
• difficulty breathing

If you have any of these signs, do not wait for a dental appointment. Go to Blackpool Victoria Hospital A&E straight away. If you have localised dental pain and swelling without those signs, call Tower Dental on 01253 353759 for a same-day emergency appointment.

Knocked-Out Adult Tooth — The 30-Minute Window That Changes Everything

A completely displaced adult tooth (avulsion) is the dental emergency where what you do in the first minutes matters most. Many patients find teeth reimplanted within 30 minutes of avulsion have about strong long-term outcomes. Teeth reimplanted after 60 minutes have survival rates closer to 50%. After 2 hours out of the socket, reimplantation is unlikely to succeed.

The critical steps:

1. Pick up the tooth by the crown. Never touch the root. It carries the periodontal ligament cells (the cells that let the tooth reattach), and they are essential for reimplantation.
2. If the tooth is dirty, rinse it briefly under cold water for no more than 10 seconds. Do not scrub it. Do not use soap. Do not dry it.
3. If the patient is conscious and cooperative, the best storage medium is the socket itself. Gently push the tooth back in and bite down on a clean cloth.
4. If this is not possible, place the tooth in a container of cold full-fat milk, the patient's own saliva, or sterile saline.
5. Do not store it in water. Water damages the periodontal ligament cells through osmotic pressure.

Call Tower Dental straight away on 01253 353759 — If we are closed, go directly to the nearest A&E with dental provision. Time is the only thing that matters here.

Note: these instructions apply to adult teeth only. A baby (primary) tooth that is knocked out should NOT be put back in. Forcing it back can damage the developing adult tooth underneath. Bring the tooth to the dentist for assessment. The priority is checking that no tooth fragment remains in the socket. We also check that the injury has not affected the developing adult tooth.

Cracked and Fractured Teeth — Why "It Doesn't Hurt That Much" Can Be Misleading

A cracked tooth does not always hurt in line with how bad the crack is. A crack can extend all the way to the root. This is called "cracked tooth syndrome". It can produce sharp pain only when you bite in one particular direction, with little discomfort the rest of the time. That unpredictable pattern is hard to diagnose. It often leads patients to delay treatment, sometimes for months.

The critical issue with cracked teeth is that cracks get worse over time. At first a crack may run only through the enamel and the surface dentine. At that stage a crown can treat it. Left untreated, the crack can spread to the root. At that point the only option is extraction (having the tooth taken out). Early diagnosis and the right treatment, usually a crown, gives the best chance of saving the tooth. Call Tower Dental if you get sharp pain when you bite, or sensitivity that comes and goes without warning. The number is 01253 353759 — this pattern is worth investigating promptly.

Managing Dental Pain Before Your Appointment

While you wait for a dental appointment, the most effective pain relief for most dental emergencies is ibuprofen 400mg and paracetamol 1000mg taken together. Clinical research shows this mix works better than either drug alone at dental pain doses. Ibuprofen addresses the inflammatory part of dental pain. Paracetamol works in a different way, acting centrally to dull the pain. Do not exceed the recommended doses. Do not take ibuprofen if you have stomach ulcers, kidney problems or are pregnant.

Cold packs held against the outside of the face (never directly on the tooth) can reduce swelling and numb the area a little. Clove oil (eugenol) dabbed on the sore area with a cotton bud gives temporary surface numbing. You can buy it from pharmacies. It is the active ingredient in many dental emergency remedies. It will not treat the underlying problem. But it can make the hours until your appointment easier.

Avoid these while you wait:

• aspirin placed directly on the gum — it causes chemical burns
• hot foods and drinks — they increase inflammation
• alcohol — it is contraindicated with many painkillers

If a filling or crown has come out, dental wax or sugar-free chewing gum can cover the exposed dentine for now and reduce sensitivity until you are seen. Call Tower Dental Blackpool on 01253 353759 as early as possible for same-day emergency appointments.

Expert Dental Guides

Our GDC-registered clinical team publish in-depth dental guides. They are fully referenced with the latest academic research. Our blog covers every aspect of dental health, from treatment guides to patient advice, for patients across Blackpool and the Fylde Coast.