When something goes wrong, call us first.

What counts as a dental emergency

• Severe or persistent toothache, especially with swelling or fever.
• A cracked, chipped, or broken tooth.
• A tooth that has been knocked out or pushed out of position.
• A lost filling, crown, or veneer.
• Swelling of the gums, face, or jaw, or an abscess.
• Bleeding that doesn't stop after an injury or extraction.

If you're not sure, call. Describing what's happening takes two minutes and we can tell you whether it needs to be seen today, tomorrow, or at your next regular visit.

What to do before you get here

For a knocked-out adult tooth, time matters. Pick it up by the crown, not the root, rinse it gently with milk or saline if it's dirty, and try to place it back in the socket. If you can't, keep it in milk or tucked inside your cheek and come straight in. Teeth replanted within an hour have the best chance.

For a toothache, rinse with warm salt water and take over-the-counter pain relief as directed. Don't put aspirin against the gum. For a broken tooth, save any pieces and avoid chewing on that side. For a lost crown, keep it safe and bring it with you; it can often be re-cemented.

What happens at the visit

The first goal is to get you out of pain and stabilize the tooth. That may mean a temporary filling, re-cementing a crown, smoothing a sharp edge, prescribing antibiotics for an infection, or starting a root canal. Once things are calm we'll talk about the permanent fix, which might be a filling, a crown, or in some cases an implant.