Emergency
A dental emergency: what to do first
Call us before you drive over. We'll tell you whether to come in now, wait until we open or go to an emergency room.
The list below covers the usual cases. If yours isn't on it, call anyway.
- Swelling that spreads to your face, eye or neck, trouble breathing or swallowing, a serious blow to the head, or bleeding that won't stop needs emergency care now. Go to an emergency room or call 911. If a tooth is knocked out or broken, call our office right away.
What counts, and what to do first
In the order that can't wait.
Step 1: Swelling in the face, eye or neck, or trouble breathing or swallowing
Go to an emergency room or call 911. Don't wait to hear from us.
Step 2: A knocked-out tooth
Call us now and say you're on the way. Pick the tooth up by the crown, not the root. If it's dirty, rinse it gently in milk or water for a few seconds, without scrubbing. If you can, put it back in the socket and hold it there. If you can't, keep it in a cup of milk.
Step 3: A broken or cracked tooth
Rinse your mouth with warm water and keep any piece you find. Hold a cold pack against your cheek, and call us.
Step 4: A toothache that won't let up
Rinse with warm water, and floss gently around the tooth in case something is stuck. Don't put aspirin against the gum. Call us.
Step 5: A swollen gum or a bump on the gum
Call us the same day. It can be an infection. If the swelling spreads, see the first item on this list.
Step 6: A lost filling or crown
Keep the crown. Call us. A dental cement from the drugstore can hold a crown in place until your visit, but don't use household glue.
What an urgent visit is
Short, and in the same order every time.
Questions
What happened, when it started and what you've taken for it.
An exam
The dentist finds the tooth and checks the ones around it. An X-ray only if it will change what we do.
The estimate
In writing, before treatment. You decide with it in your hand.
The treatment, or a temporary repair
Then what comes next, and what your regular dentist should finish.
When we are open
We don't have an after-hours line. If it can't wait until we open, go to an urgent care or an emergency room.
- MondayMonToday7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- TuesdayTueToday7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- WednesdayWedToday7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- ThursdayThuToday7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- FridayFriToday7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
- SaturdaySatToday8 a.m. – 1 p.m.
- SundaySunTodayClosed
Walk-ins are seen when a chair is open. Call first for the quickest answer.
Questions about emergencies
What counts as a dental emergency?
A knocked-out tooth, a broken tooth, a toothache that won't let up, a lost crown, or a swollen gum. Swelling that spreads to your face, eye or neck, or trouble breathing or swallowing, needs an emergency room or 911. Our emergency page has the first steps.
Do I need an appointment?
Call first. We hold time for urgent visits when we can, and we tell you on the phone if we can't, so you don't wait for nothing. Walk-ins are seen when a chair is open.
Will it hurt?
We numb the area before we work, and you can ask for a break at any time by raising your hand. Some treatment leaves a tooth sore for a day or two, and the dentist tells you what to expect.
What if I don't have insurance?
Most of our patients pay for their own visit, and we are built for it. You get a written estimate before any treatment, and you decide with the estimate in your hand.
Provided by general dentists
Call (775) 555-0101
Dr. Odessa Lenoir and Dr. Mika Fujita are general dentists, licensed in Nevada. If it isn't clear that it's an emergency, call and ask.