Emergency Dental Care

What counts as an emergency, what to do first, and when to be seen the same day.

Written by the Shield Dental Care team, Burke VA

Most dental problems can wait a few days. A few cannot, and the difference matters — waiting on the wrong one can cost the tooth. This page covers what counts as an emergency, what to do in the first few minutes, and when the hospital is the right destination rather than a dentist.

What counts as a dental emergency

Call the practice straight away on (703) 250-5072 for any of these:

  • A severe or throbbing toothache
  • A broken or chipped tooth
  • A knocked-out tooth
  • A lost filling or crown
  • An injury to the gums, cheek or tongue
  • Swelling in the face or gums

We keep room in the schedule for same-day emergency visits and take walk-ins where we can. Calling first still helps — it lets the team prepare before you arrive rather than after.

When to go to a hospital instead

Some situations need an emergency room first, not a dental chair. Go to a hospital if you have bleeding that will not stop, a serious facial injury, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or swelling that is spreading toward your eye or down your neck.

For everything else, a dentist is usually both the faster and the cheaper route. A hospital emergency department can manage pain and prescribe antibiotics, but it is generally not equipped to treat the tooth itself — so the underlying problem is still there when you leave, and you will still need a dental appointment.

A knocked-out tooth: the first ten minutes

This is the one emergency where what you do immediately genuinely changes the outcome, because the chance of saving the tooth drops sharply with time.

  • Pick the tooth up by the crown — the chewing surface — and never by the root.
  • Rinse it gently with water or milk. Do not scrub it, and do not remove any tissue attached to it.
  • Keep it moist. Milk is a good holding medium; so is the socket itself if the tooth can be eased back into place.
  • Get seen immediately. Call on the way rather than after you arrive.

Severe toothache

Sudden severe pain usually means something inside the tooth needs attention — an infection, deep decay, or a crack. Pain that wakes you at night, or that is accompanied by swelling, should not be managed with painkillers and time. Painkillers mask the signal; they do not treat the cause, and an untreated infection in a tooth can spread.

Outside our hours

The office is open Monday to Thursday, 8 AM to 5 PM, and Friday and Saturday, 8 AM to 2 PM. If a problem starts outside those hours, call (703) 250-5072 as soon as we open and we will fit you in. If the situation matches any of the hospital criteria above, do not wait for us.

Other common emergencies

A broken or cracked tooth

Rinse with warm water, use a cold compress on the outside of the cheek to limit swelling, and keep any pieces you can find. Whether a broken tooth is urgent depends on what broke: a chipped edge can often wait a few days, while a fracture that exposes the inside of the tooth is painful and should be seen quickly.

A lost filling or crown

Not usually painful, but it does leave the tooth underneath unprotected and prone to further damage. Keep the crown if you have it — it can often be re-cemented rather than remade. Avoid chewing on that side until it is back in place.

Swelling and abscess

Facial swelling is the symptom to take most seriously on this list. It indicates infection, and infection in a tooth does not resolve on its own. Swelling that is spreading, or that comes with fever or difficulty swallowing, is a hospital matter rather than a wait-and-see one.

What an emergency visit costs

This depends entirely on what the treatment turns out to be, and no honest figure can be quoted before someone has looked. What can be said is the comparison: a hospital emergency department visit for dental pain commonly runs from $500 to over $1,500 depending on insurance, and generally ends without the tooth being treated. Seeing a dentist is usually both cheaper and more likely to solve the problem in one visit.

Reducing the odds of the next one

Two categories account for a large share of emergencies. The first is decay that was found late — regular exams and x-rays catch problems while they are still small and painless. The second is impact: a custom mouthguard for contact sports is a good deal less trouble than a knocked-out tooth. Grinding also cracks teeth over time, which is why a night guard is a preventive appliance rather than a comfort one.

Treatments at Shield Dental Care

What we do for this, and what each appointment involves.

Articles

11 articles from the Shield Dental Care team, all reviewed by Dr. Pejman Ghorbani, DDS.

Not sure which one you need?

Call the practice and describe what is going on. Shield Dental Care welcomes new patients across Burke, Fairfax and Springfield.

Call (703) 250-5072 Request an appointment