When it can't wait until next week

What counts as a dental emergency

If you are unsure, call. Our team can help you decide how quickly you need to be seen.

• A knocked-out permanent tooth
• Severe or worsening toothache
• Facial swelling, fever or a gum abscess
• A cracked, fractured or badly chipped tooth
• A lost crown, filling or broken denture
• Bleeding that does not stop after fifteen minutes of pressure

First steps before you arrive

For a knocked-out tooth, handle it by the crown only, rinse gently with milk or saline if needed, and either reinsert it into the socket or transport it in milk. For pain and swelling, rinse with warm salt water and apply a cold compress to the outside of the face.

Swelling that affects your eye, neck, swallowing or breathing is a medical emergency — go to the nearest emergency room immediately.

What happens at your visit

We diagnose the source, relieve pain, and stabilize the situation. Definitive treatment sometimes happens the same day and sometimes follows once the infection or inflammation has settled.

Preventing the next emergency

Sports guards, nightguards for grinding, and treating small cracks and cavities early prevent a large share of the urgent visits we see. Our preventive dentistry page explains how.

Can you see me today?

We reserve time for urgent needs each day. Call as early as you can so we can direct you appropriately.

Should I go to the emergency room instead?

Go to the ER for facial trauma, uncontrolled bleeding, or swelling that affects breathing or swallowing. Most other dental problems are treated faster and more definitively in a dental office.

Will an antibiotic fix a toothache?

Antibiotics can control a spreading infection, but they do not remove its source. Definitive treatment of the tooth is still required.