Emergency dentist in Rugby · what to do tonight
Wisdom tooth pain: what helps tonight, and when it needs us
Written by Dr Tim Bond, principal dentist at Rugby Smiles · Reviewed September 2026
The short answer: salt water, painkillers, keep the area clean, and ring us if it is not easing in two or three days, or sooner if your face swells or you cannot open your mouth properly. Most wisdom tooth pain is a gum infection around a tooth that is only part-way through, and it is very treatable.
A wisdom tooth that has only half come through leaves a flap of gum over it, and food and bacteria get trapped underneath. The result is pericoronitis: a sore, swollen gum at the very back, a bad taste, and pain that spreads to the ear or the jaw. It comes and goes, and each episode tends to be worse. Here is what to do with this one.
Emergency assessment £50, usually same day. How our emergency appointments work.
Do this now
Four things that help within a day.
1
Salt water, often
Half a teaspoon of salt in warm water, held over the back of the mouth and swished, four or five times a day. It is the single most useful thing.
2
Clean under the flap
A soft brush, or a syringe of warm water from a pharmacy, aimed gently at the gap between gum and tooth. Trapped food is what keeps it going.
3
Painkillers
Paracetamol and ibuprofen together at packet doses if you can take them. Ibuprofen helps the swelling.
4
Soft food, other side
Chewing on the sore side drives food back under the flap. Soft food, cool drinks, and rest the jaw.
What is happening, and why it keeps coming back
Pericoronitis flares whenever the pocket under the gum flap fills up. Stress, a cold, or a run of late nights lowers your defences and it comes back. A single episode settles in three to five days with the care above; a second or third episode is the point at which we talk about removing the tooth or the flap.
It needs us today, not in three days, if: your cheek is swelling, you cannot open your mouth fully, swallowing is uncomfortable, or you feel feverish. That is the infection spreading, and it needs cleaning out and usually antibiotics.
Wisdom teeth are removed here, from £160, often without a hospital referral. Tooth removal and wisdom teeth explains what is involved.
Do not do this
- Do not stop cleaning the area because it hurts. That is exactly when the pocket refills.
- Do not take old antibiotics from the cupboard.
- Do not push food or a fingernail under the flap to dig things out.
- Do not assume a wisdom tooth always needs taking out. Many settle and never trouble you again once the tooth is fully through.
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 wisdom tooth pain that means cleaning under the gum flap with antiseptic, antibiotics if the infection has spread, and an X-ray to see whether the tooth will ever come through properly.
What we do about it
On the day we irrigate under the flap with antiseptic, which brings quick relief, and prescribe antibiotics if the infection has spread into the cheek or jaw. An X-ray shows whether the tooth has room to come through. If it does, we leave it and teach you how to keep the pocket clean. If it does not, or this is the second or third flare, we talk about removing it.
Removal is done here under local anaesthetic, from £160, with IV sedation available for nervous patients. The emergency assessment is £50.
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
Will wisdom tooth pain go away on its own?
A mild flare usually settles in three to five days with salt water and cleaning. If it is not easing by then, or it keeps returning, ring us.
Do I need antibiotics for a wisdom tooth infection?
Only if the infection has spread beyond the gum: a swollen cheek, trouble opening your mouth, or feeling unwell. Cleaning under the flap is the treatment for a local flare.
Does the wisdom tooth have to come out?
Not always. If it has room to come through fully, the problem often stops. Repeated flares, decay, or a tooth that is stuck at an angle are the usual reasons to remove it.
Can you remove wisdom teeth at the practice?
Yes, most of them, from £160, without a hospital referral. The X-ray tells us which need a specialist.
Why does my ear hurt with a wisdom tooth?
The nerves at the back of the jaw share pathways with the ear, so a wisdom tooth flare is often felt as earache or jaw ache on that side.
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: wisdom tooth removal · toothache · swelling or abscess · Rugby Smiles Dental Clinic · 3 Newbold Road, Rugby CV21 2LQ