If you are in severe pain right now, skip to the action steps below; they come first for a reason.
| In pain right now? Start here. – Call or WhatsApp Akcess Dental on +233 59 192 8740. – Describe your symptoms, and we will tell you whether to come in immediately and to which branch. – If you have facial swelling spreading toward your eye or neck, difficulty swallowing or breathing, or a high fever with tooth pain, do not wait for a dental appointment; go to a hospital emergency department now. – The rest of this guide explains why, and what to do in the meantime. |
Tooth pain has a particular cruelty to it. It arrives at night, on a weekend, or the moment every clinic has closed, and it does not negotiate. If you are reading this with your jaw throbbing, you do not need a lecture on flossing.
You need to know what to do in the next hour, whether this is the kind of problem that can wait until morning or the kind that cannot, and where in Accra you can actually be seen.
This guide answers exactly that, written for how things actually work in Accra, where there is no network of 24-hour dental emergency rooms, where traffic can turn a short trip into an hour, and where the home remedies people reach for sometimes make things worse.
Read the parts you need and ignore the rest.
Is This Actually a Dental Emergency?
Not every toothache is an emergency, and knowing the difference saves you a panicked late-night trip — or tells you not to wait when you were about to.
Treat it as urgent; be seen as soon as possible
- Severe, throbbing pain that wakes you at night or is not controlled by ordinary painkillers.
- Swelling of the gum, face, or jaw.
- A knocked-out tooth (time matters — see the section below).
- A broken or cracked tooth with sharp pain or a sharp edge cutting your tongue or cheek.
- Bleeding that will not stop after dental work or an injury.
- A lost filling or crown exposing a painful, sensitive tooth.
Probably can wait a day or two, but still get it checked
- Mild, dull ache that ordinary painkillers manage.
- Food stuck between teeth that you cannot remove but which is not causing severe pain.
- Mild sensitivity to hot or cold without lingering pain.
- A loose orthodontic bracket that is not cutting into your mouth.
The Danger Signs That Mean Go to Hospital Now, Not the Dentist
This is the section that the other pages leave out, and it is the most important one in this guide. Some dental infections are not just painful; they are dangerous.
A dental abscess is a bacterial infection, and if it spreads, it can move into the spaces of the neck and throat. In its most serious form (a condition called Ludwig’s angina), the swelling can block the airway.
This is rare, but it is real, and it is a medical emergency, not a dental one.
Go to a hospital emergency department immediately — do not wait for a dental appointment — if tooth pain or swelling comes with any of these:
- Swelling spreading under your jaw, into your neck, or toward your eye.
- Difficulty swallowing or difficulty opening your mouth.
- Difficulty breathing, or a change in your voice.
- A high fever alongside the swelling.
- A rapidly worsening swelling over a few hours.
In Accra, that means a hospital with emergency and, ideally, oral and maxillofacial capacity, such as Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the 37 Military Hospital, or the University of Ghana Medical Centre.
Call ahead if you can, but if breathing or swallowing is affected, go straight there.
| Why the medical ER, and not just any clinic, for these signs? A standard dental clinic, including ours, is set up to treat the tooth, not to manage an airway emergency. When an infection has spread to the point of affecting breathing or swallowing, you need a hospital with emergency medicine and surgical capacity. Going to a dental clinic first in that situation wastes the time you do not have. Know the difference before you ever need it. |
What to Do Right Now Before You Reach a Dentist
Most dental emergencies are not airway emergencies, and for those, the goal is to control pain and protect the tooth until you can be seen. Here is what actually helps.
For a severe toothache
- Take an ordinary painkiller you have used safely before, paracetamol or ibuprofen, at the normal dose on the packet. Ibuprofen tends to work better for dental pain because it reduces inflammation, but only if it is safe for you.
- Rinse gently with warm salt water (a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water). It soothes and helps clean the area.
- Use a cold compress on the outside of your cheek — 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off — to reduce pain and swelling.
- Keep your head elevated when lying down. Lying flat increases blood flow to the head and makes throbbing worse; this is why tooth pain feels worse at night. Prop yourself up on extra pillows.
For a knocked-out tooth (this is genuinely time-sensitive)
- Pick the tooth up by the crown (the white part), never the root.
- If it is dirty, rinse it gently with milk or clean water. Do not scrub it or remove any tissue attached to it.
- If you can, place it back in the socket and bite gently on a clean cloth to hold it.
- If you cannot reinsert it, keep it in a cup of milk (not water) and get to a dentist as fast as possible. The first 30 to 60 minutes give the best chance of saving the tooth.
For a broken tooth
- Save any pieces you can find and keep them in milk or clean water.
- Cover any sharp edge with a piece of clean dental wax, sugar-free gum, or a wet cotton ball to stop it from cutting your tongue.
- Use a cold compress for swelling and a painkiller for the pain.
What NOT to Do: The Home Remedies That Make It Worse
In the desperation of late-night pain, people reach for things they have heard about. Some are harmless. Several are not, and we treat the consequences regularly.
- Do not place an aspirin directly on the gum or tooth. This is a persistent myth. Aspirin is acidic and burns the gum tissue, leaving a chemical ulcer on top of the toothache. Swallow the painkiller; do not apply it.
- Do not overuse clove oil. A tiny amount on a cotton ball can dull pain briefly, but applied repeatedly or in quantity, it irritates and burns the gum and soft tissue.
- Do not apply harsh herbal or chemical preparations from informal sellers to the tooth. We see burns and worsened infections from this more often than people would believe.
- Do not try to drain a swelling yourself. Bursting or squeezing an abscess at home can push the infection deeper and is dangerous.
- Do not place hot compresses on a swelling. Heat draws infection outward and can make facial swelling spread faster. Use cold, not heat, for swelling.
- Do not start someone else’s leftover antibiotics. Wrong drug, wrong dose, and partial courses breed resistance, and antibiotics alone do not fix the underlying tooth problem anyway.
Where Can You Get Emergency Dental Care in Accra After Hours?
Accra does not have a widespread network of 24-hour dental emergency rooms the way some countries do. What you have instead is a combination of options, and which one fits depends on the time and the severity.
- During clinic hours, a private dental clinic that accepts emergency or same-day appointments is your fastest route to actually fixing the problem. Call first to confirm they can fit you in.
- After hours, for a serious infection or trauma: a hospital with an emergency department and oral/maxillofacial capacity: Korle Bu, 37 Military Hospital, or UGMC.
- After hours, for pain you can manage until morning: use the self-care steps above and call a dental clinic first thing when they open.
This is exactly why it is worth saving a dental clinic’s number in your phone before you ever need it. In a pain emergency at 11pm, the difference between knowing who to call and searching from scratch is real.
How Do You Stop Tooth Pain at Night So You Can Sleep?
Night pain is the worst because lying down makes it throb. Until you can be seen, this combination helps most:
- Take ibuprofen if it is safe for you (it targets the inflammation)
- Rinse with warm salt water
- Apply a cold compress to the cheek before bed, and sleep propped up on extra pillows so your head stays elevated.
- Avoid very hot, very cold, or sugary food and drink, which can trigger a flare.
See Akcess Dental for Urgent Dental Care
We keep room in our schedule for emergencies across our Accra branches because we know dental pain does not wait politely for a free appointment slot.
If you are in pain, call or WhatsApp us, describe what is happening, and we will tell you honestly whether to come straight in, which branch is fastest for you, or — if your symptoms point to the danger signs above — to go to a hospital instead.
Call or WhatsApp: +233 59 192 8740
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a dental emergency?
Severe or throbbing tooth pain not controlled by painkillers, swelling of the gum or face, a knocked-out or broken tooth, uncontrolled bleeding, and a lost filling or crown exposing a painful tooth all count as dental emergencies that should be seen as soon as possible.
Should I go to the hospital or a dentist for tooth pain?
For most tooth pain and dental problems, a dentist is the right place. A hospital emergency department can usually only offer painkillers and antibiotics, not actual dental treatment.
How can I stop severe tooth pain fast at home?
Take paracetamol or ibuprofen at the normal dose if safe for you, rinse with warm salt water, apply a cold compress to the outside of your cheek, and keep your head elevated.
Can a tooth infection kill you?
Untreated dental infections can, in rare cases, become life-threatening if they spread to the spaces of the neck and throat and block the airway, or enter the bloodstream. Most dental infections are not life-threatening if treated promptly, which is exactly why you should not ignore them.
Is it bad to put aspirin on a sore tooth?
Yes. Placing an aspirin directly on the gum or tooth does not relieve toothache and burns the soft tissue, causing a chemical ulcer. Painkillers should be swallowed, not applied to the tooth.
What should I do if my tooth gets knocked out?
Pick the tooth up by the crown, not the root. Rinse it gently with milk or clean water without scrubbing. If possible, place it back in the socket and bite on a clean cloth; if not, keep it in milk and get to a dentist within 30 to 60 minutes for the best chance of saving it.
Why does my toothache get worse at night?
Lying down increases blood flow to your head, which raises pressure around an inflamed tooth and makes the throbbing worse. Sleeping propped up on extra pillows to keep your head elevated reduces this and often helps you get through the night until you can see a dentist.
Can I just take antibiotics for a tooth infection?
Antibiotics can control the spread of an infection temporarily, but they do not fix the underlying problem; the infected tooth still needs treatment such as a root canal or extraction. Taking antibiotics alone, or using someone else’s leftover course, often allows the problem to return worse and contributes to antibiotic resistance. See a dentist for proper treatment.
