Dental emergency in Mombasa? What to do in the first hour

Dental emergencies are frightening precisely because they arrive without warning. What you do in the first hour often decides whether a tooth is saved or lost. Below is what to do for the most common emergencies, and when to call an emergency dentist in Mombasa immediately.

Severe toothache

Take an over-the-counter painkiller you normally tolerate, rinse with warm salty water, and keep your head elevated — lying flat increases pressure at the root and worsens throbbing pain. Do not place aspirin directly against the gum; it burns the tissue. Persistent pain that wakes you at night usually means the nerve is irreversibly inflamed and needs root canal treatment or extraction, not more painkillers.

Knocked-out adult tooth

This is the one true race against the clock. Pick the tooth up by the crown, never the root. If it is dirty, rinse it briefly in milk or saline — never scrub it. Re-implant it into the socket immediately if you can and bite gently on a clean cloth. If you cannot, store it in cold milk (not water) and get to a dentist within 30–60 minutes. Baby teeth should never be re-implanted.

Facial swelling — treat as urgent

Swelling of the cheek, jaw or under the eye means a spreading infection. If swelling affects your eye, the floor of your mouth, your swallowing or your breathing, that is a medical emergency — go to a hospital immediately. Otherwise call our emergency line on 0739 452 765 the same day. Antibiotics alone rarely resolve dental infection; the source must be treated.

Broken or chipped tooth

Save any fragments in milk. Rinse gently, apply a cold compress to the outside of the face, and avoid chewing on that side. A small chip can often be repaired with a composite filling the same day; a larger fracture may need a crown, and a fracture into the nerve may need root canal treatment first.

Lost filling or crown

Keep the crown safe and clean. Avoid sticky food and chewing on that side. Temporary dental cement from a pharmacy can hold a crown for a day or two, but do not use household glue — it makes proper re-cementation impossible and can destroy the tooth.

Bleeding after an extraction

Roll clean gauze into a firm pad, place it over the socket and bite steadily for 20 minutes without checking. Repeat once. Avoid rinsing, spitting, smoking and hot drinks for 24 hours. If bleeding is still heavy after two attempts, contact us.

Orthodontic emergencies

A poking archwire can be tucked with a clean pencil eraser and covered with orthodontic wax. A loose bracket is uncomfortable but not urgent — book a repair visit. Never cut a wire yourself unless it is at risk of being swallowed.

How Ocean Smile handles emergencies

We keep same-day slots for pain, swelling and trauma. Call or WhatsApp 0713 276 793 for bookings, or 0739 452 765 for emergencies, including Sundays. Tell us your symptoms and when they started so we can triage properly and, where needed, take an X-ray as soon as you arrive at our clinic on Moi Avenue, Mombasa.

How to avoid the next emergency

Most emergencies are late-stage versions of small, painless problems. Six-monthly check-ups, treating cavities early, wearing a mouthguard for contact sports and not using teeth as tools prevent the majority of the emergencies we see.