Dental Emergencies

We know that dental emergencies can be stressful, which is why we’ll make room in our schedule to see you the same day for treatment if you call us before 12pm—guaranteed. No matter when you call, immediate attention will be given to your situation and we will make arrangements to see you as soon as we are able.

Outside of our regular hours, call our office and follow the instructions provided on the recording and one of our team members will return your call as soon as possible. In cases of serious or life-threatening emergencies, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room for treatment.

Rinse your mouth with warm water, then floss gently around the affected tooth to see if there is a piece of food lodged in the surrounding tissue. This is a common cause of toothaches. If this doesn’t help or you notice that the area surrounding your tooth is warm, call our office for an appointment.

Use a clean washcloth or piece of sterile gauze to apply pressure to the wound in order to stop any bleeding. Use an ice pack to relieve any swelling. If you cannot get the bleeding to stop, call your physician or go to the emergency room for treatment.

Call our office for an appointment. While baby teeth cannot be replaced, we can examine the area surrounding the tooth for soft tissue damage and assess whether your child needs a space maintainer.

Don’t touch the root of the tooth! Hold the tooth by the crown only and use water or milk to rinse off any dust, dirt, or debris. If you feel comfortable doing so, try to place the tooth back into the socket, then bite down on a piece of sterile gauze to hold it in place until your appointment. If you can’t get the tooth back in, put it in a small cup or saliva or milk. Call our office for an emergency appointment.

Use warm water to rinse your mouth and use an ice pack to reduce any swelling. If you can locate the piece of the tooth that has broken off, place it in a small cup of milk or saliva, as we may be able to bond it back to your tooth. If more than half of your tooth has broken off, call our office immediately.

Call our office and we’ll make arrangements to see you as soon as we can. If you call prior to 12pm, we will be able to see you for a same-day appointment.

Unbearable tooth pain, knocked out or badly broken teeth, broken or missing restorations, abscesses, and uncontrolled bleeding are all considered dental emergencies.

You can go to the ER for dental emergencies, but it’s not recommended; emergency rooms don’t have dentists on staff. An emergency room can drain an abscess, prescribe antibiotics, and help with pain management, but they cannot treat the underlying dental problem.

No, cavities are not usually considered a dental emergency, unless they’re causing severe pain.