Emergency dentist in Rugby · what to do tonight
Broken or chipped tooth: what to do in the first hour
Written by Dr Tim Bond, principal dentist at Rugby Smiles · Reviewed September 2026
The short answer: rinse, keep the piece in milk, cover any sharp edge, and ring us. A small chip with no pain can wait a day or two. A break that hurts, has a sharp edge, or shows a darker layer inside the tooth needs seeing today.
Teeth break on olives, pens, ice cubes and rugby pitches. Most breaks are fixable, and how well they are fixed depends partly on what you do in the first hour. Here is the order of things.
Emergency assessment £50, usually same day. How our emergency appointments work.
Do this now
Four things, in order, before you ring.
1
Find the piece
If a fragment came off and you can find it, drop it in a little milk. We can sometimes bond the original piece back on, and it always helps us see what is missing.
2
Rinse gently
Warm water, swilled and spat. It clears blood and debris so you can see what you are dealing with.
3
Cover the edge
A sharp edge shreds the tongue in hours. A blob of sugar-free chewing gum or orthodontic wax from a pharmacy over the edge stops that until you are seen.
4
Cold and painkillers
A cold pack on the cheek for swelling; paracetamol or ibuprofen if it aches. Chew on the other side and skip anything hard.
How bad is it? A quick way to tell
A small chip off a corner, no pain, no sharp edge: not an emergency. Ring us for a routine slot in the next few days; it is usually smoothed or rebuilt with composite bonding in one visit.
A larger break with a rough edge, sensitivity to cold, or a yellowish layer showing: the softer inner tooth is exposed and will get sensitive and decay. Same-day slot.
A break with a red or pink spot in the middle, bleeding from the tooth, or real pain: the nerve is involved. Same-day slot, and the tooth may need a root canal to save it.
A tooth that is loose, pushed out of position, or has come out completely: that is trauma, not a chip. Read the knocked-out tooth guide now; minutes matter.
Do not do this
- Do not try to file or smooth the edge yourself.
- Do not superglue a fragment back on. It ruins the surface we need to bond to.
- Do not ignore a break because it does not hurt yet. Bacteria find the exposed layer within days.
- Do not bite on it to test it.
What happens when you ring us
We examine the problem, take any X-rays needed, get you out of pain, and give you a written price for anything further before it happens. For a broken tooth that means smoothing or rebuilding it on the day where we can, or a temporary repair so nothing gets worse while a crown is made.
How a broken tooth is repaired
Small and medium breaks on front teeth are rebuilt in one visit with composite bonding, £250 per tooth, colour-matched so nobody can tell. Larger breaks on back teeth usually need a filling from £140 or, where most of the tooth has gone, a crown at £700. If the nerve is exposed, a root canal first saves the tooth.
Whatever the repair, the emergency visit itself is £50 and you leave with the sharp edge gone, the tooth protected and a written price for the proper fix.
Go to A&E or call 999 instead of us if
- Swelling that is spreading to your eye, under your jaw or into your neck
- Any difficulty breathing, swallowing or opening your mouth
- A high temperature with a swollen face, or feeling very unwell
- Bleeding that will not stop after 20 minutes of firm pressure
- A blow to the face with a suspected broken jaw or a lost consciousness
Out of hours, ring the practice on 01788 579 577 and the answerphone tells you how to get urgent advice, or call NHS 111. A GP cannot treat a dental problem.
Questions people ask at 9pm
Can a chipped tooth wait until Monday?
If there is no pain, no sharp edge and no darker layer showing, yes. If any of those apply, ring for a same-day slot.
Can you bond the broken piece back on?
Sometimes, if it is a clean break and you kept the piece in milk. More often we rebuild the missing part with composite, which is just as strong and matches the colour.
How much does it cost to fix a broken tooth?
The emergency assessment is £50. Bonding is £250 per tooth, a filling from £140, a crown £700. You get the price in writing before we start the repair.
Why does my broken tooth hurt with cold?
The break has exposed the softer inner layer, which reacts to temperature. It settles once the tooth is sealed with a filling or bonding.
Do I need to be registered with you?
No. Anyone with a broken tooth can ring us, whether or not you have been before.
Ring us. Usually seen the same day.
Call before 10am for the best chance of a same-day slot. If today is genuinely full, we tell you straight away and book the earliest we have. You do not need to be registered with us.
Or book online · Read next: knocked-out tooth · composite bonding · toothache · Rugby Smiles Dental Clinic · 3 Newbold Road, Rugby CV21 2LQ