If you wait too long, you may end up with complications that really be a dental emergency. Knowing someone who handles emergency dental care for your family means no one need suffer with intense pain longer than necessary. 24-hour emergency dental care covers symptoms such as: A knocked-out tooth. A tooth that’s been knocked out is one of the clearest reasons to seek emergency dental care. While you’re in pain, your ability to function is limited. You may be needlessly losing blood. And you could lose the tooth permanently. Tooth pain that you can’t explain. You need to get a professional diagnosis quickly when you have severe pain and don’t know the cause. It may signal a serious condition such as an infection that could lead to an abscess … or worse. If you aren’t able to get 24-hour emergency dental care, follow these basic self-care tips: Take ibuprofen; it’s an anti-inflammatory and reduces pain Rinse with salt water Apply peppermint tea bags to dull the pain Use a cold pack on the side of your face that hurts.