Whether a cracked or broken tooth is a dental emergency depends on how deep the damage goes, not how it looks. A small chip in the enamel that doesn’t hurt can usually wait for a routine appointment; a crack that reaches the nerve, causes sharp pain with hot or cold, or leaves a sharp edge cutting your tongue needs to be seen the same day. If you’re not sure which one you’re dealing with, that uncertainty is itself a good reason to call rather than wait.
The different ways a tooth can break
“Cracked tooth” covers a wide range of damage, and the type matters more than the size:
- Craze lines — tiny surface cracks in the enamel, usually painless and cosmetic only. Common with age and don’t need emergency treatment.
- A chip — a small piece of enamel breaks off, often from biting something hard. Rarely painful unless it exposes the softer dentine underneath.
- A fractured cusp — a piece of the chewing surface breaks away, usually around an existing filling. Can be sharp-edged but often isn’t an emergency if there’s no pain.
- A crack extending toward the root — pain that comes and goes, especially on release of a bite, is a classic sign. This needs assessment soon rather than immediately in most cases.
- A split tooth — the crack has gone all the way through, usually causing constant pain. This is a genuine emergency.
- A vertical root fracture — often no visible break at all, discovered through persistent discomfort and swelling. Needs a dental assessment to diagnose.
None of this is something to self-diagnose with confidence — the appearance of a crack often tells you far less than how it behaves, which is exactly what an examination is for.
Signs it’s a genuine dental emergency
- Sharp or throbbing pain, particularly if it’s constant rather than only when you bite
- Sensitivity to hot or cold that lingers well after the trigger is gone
- Visible pink or reddish tissue at the break — this can mean the nerve is exposed
- A sharp edge cutting your tongue, cheek or lip
- Swelling in the gum or face near the broken tooth
- The tooth feels loose or moves when you bite
If none of these apply and the tooth just looks chipped without hurting, it can usually wait for a routine appointment — though it’s still worth having it looked at reasonably soon, since a rough edge can wear at your tongue or cheek, and a small chip today is easier to fix than a bigger one in six months.
What to do right now
- Rinse your mouth gently with warm salty water to clean the area.
- Keep any broken fragment if you can find it — bring it with you.
- Avoid chewing on that side of your mouth.
- Take your usual over-the-counter painkiller as directed on the packet. Never place aspirin directly against the gum or tooth — it can burn the gum tissue.
- A cold compress against the outside of the cheek can help with swelling or discomfort.
- Cover a sharp edge with orthodontic wax or sugar-free chewing gum if it’s cutting your tongue or cheek, purely as a temporary measure.
This is general guidance only, not a substitute for being seen — individual circumstances vary, and a proper diagnosis needs an examination.
How long can you safely leave it?
There is no single safe waiting time, but there is a useful rule of thumb: the further the damage goes past the enamel, the shorter the window. A painless craze line or a shallow chip is stable and can be reviewed at your next routine check-up. A fractured cusp with no pain is usually fine for a week or two, though the exposed dentine can become sensitive and the remaining wall of the tooth is weaker than it looks.
Once there is lingering sensitivity, the picture changes. Pain that continues for more than a few seconds after something hot or cold suggests the nerve is inflamed, and an inflamed nerve does not settle on its own — left long enough it dies, and what could have been a filling or a crown becomes root canal treatment. Swelling, a bad taste or pain that wakes you at night point to infection and should be seen the same day, because infection in the mouth can spread into the surrounding tissue.
The practical answer for most people: if it hurts, call today; if it does not hurt but something has visibly broken away, call this week; if it is a hairline mark you only notice in good light, mention it at your next appointment.
How a cracked or broken tooth is actually treated
Treatment depends entirely on how much of the tooth is affected and whether the nerve is involved — there’s no single fix for “a broken tooth.”
- Small chips are often repaired the same day with composite bonding — a tooth-coloured material built up directly onto the tooth, usually without drilling or an injection.
- Larger fractures, especially where a filling or a significant part of the tooth is missing, more often need a crown to protect what’s left and restore the biting surface.
- Cracks reaching the nerve can cause the kind of pain that doesn’t settle, and may need root canal treatment to remove the damaged nerve tissue before the tooth is restored.
- Split teeth or fractures below the gumline sometimes can’t be saved, in which case extraction is the honest recommendation, with a dental implant as one option for replacing it afterwards if you want a fixed replacement.
At Toothi, we’ll tell you plainly which category your tooth falls into, and what happens if you choose to do nothing — sometimes watching and waiting genuinely is the right answer, and we’ll say so rather than treating for the sake of it.
What it costs
An emergency appointment at Toothi in Edgware is £65, covering the examination, diagnosis and immediate pain relief — same-day, including Saturdays and Sundays. An X-ray, if one is needed, is £15. Treatment is priced separately and confirmed in writing before it starts. As a guide from our published fees page: a composite white filling is from £145, composite bonding is £200–£350 per tooth, a crown is from £595, first-stage root canal pain relief is £350 and full root canal treatment is £450–£600. Finance is available on treatment over £250, subject to status. Exact cost depends on which of the categories above your tooth falls into, which is why we quote after an examination rather than over the phone.
Cracked or broken tooth: frequently asked questions
Is a chipped tooth always an emergency?
No. A small, painless chip can usually wait for a routine appointment. Pain, sensitivity, a visibly exposed nerve, or a sharp edge cutting your mouth are the signs that mean same-day treatment is worth arranging.
Can a cracked tooth heal on its own?
No — unlike a bone, a cracked tooth doesn’t heal itself. Left alone, a crack can worsen or let in infection. Some small craze lines are stable and simply monitored, but that’s a judgement made after an examination, not something to assume at home.
Will I need a root canal for a broken tooth?
Only if the crack or fracture has reached the nerve. Many chips and fractures are repaired with bonding or a crown without any nerve involvement at all.
Can a broken tooth be fixed the same day?
Often, yes, for a straightforward chip repaired with composite bonding. Larger repairs like a crown typically need a short planning stage even when the first visit is same-day.
How much does it cost to fix a broken tooth?
At Toothi the emergency appointment itself is £65. The repair is quoted separately after the examination: composite bonding is £200–£350 per tooth and a crown is from £595, with the full list on our fees page.
What if the tooth can’t be saved?
We’ll tell you honestly if that’s the case. Extraction is sometimes the right answer for a badly split tooth, and a dental implant is one option worth discussing afterwards if you’d like a fixed replacement.
Broken or cracked a tooth? Call 020 3148 2444 or WhatsApp us — we hold same-day emergency slots every day we’re open, including weekends. You can also book online. Read more on our emergency dentist in Edgware page, or see what an emergency dentist costs in the UK.
Toothi London, 1 Handel Parade, Whitchurch Lane, Edgware, London HA8 6LD · 020 3148 2444 · Mon–Wed 9–6, Thu 9–12, Fri 9–6, Sat 9–5, Sun 10–5 (open 7 days).
Individual circumstances and treatment needs vary, and all treatment is subject to clinical assessment. Prices shown are Toothi’s published fees at the time of writing — see our fees page for the current list.
Page reviewed by Dr Ali El-Kabengi (GDC 270807) · Updated 21 September 2026
