Oct 17, 2025
Emergency Dentist FAQs: Your Questions Answered
By The Team at Smyrna Dental Studio
When a dental emergency strikes, it's a moment filled with pain, panic, and a flood of urgent questions. Who should I call? Is this serious enough for an emergency visit? What can I do for the pain right now? Knowing the answers to these questions can make a stressful situation much more manageable.
At Smyrna Dental Studio, we believe that an informed patient is a more empowered one. To help our Smyrna community feel prepared, we've compiled a comprehensive list of the most frequently asked questions we receive about emergency dentistry. This guide provides clear, authoritative answers you need.
Your Most Pressing Emergency Dental Questions Answered
What is considered a true dental emergency? A true dental emergency is any situation that requires immediate professional attention to stop severe pain, control bleeding, save a tooth, or treat a serious infection. This includes:
Severe, persistent, or throbbing tooth pain.
A knocked-out or loose permanent tooth.
Signs of an abscess (severe pain with a pimple-like bump on the gum or facial swelling).
A badly cracked or broken tooth is causing significant pain.
Uncontrolled bleeding from the mouth.
What should I do if my tooth gets knocked out? This is a time-critical emergency. You must act within the first 30 to 60 minutes.
Pick the tooth up by the crown (the chewing surface), never the root.
Gently rinse it with milk or cool water (do not scrub it).
If possible, try to place it back in the socket and hold it in place by gently biting on gauze.
If you can't, place it in a small container of milk as soon as possible.
Call our Smyrna office and come in right away.
Should I go to the hospital ER or an emergency dentist? For tooth-specific problems, such as a toothache, a broken tooth, or an abscess, an emergency dentist is always your best choice. We have the specialized tools and expertise to treat the root cause of the problem. You should go to the hospital ER only if you have a suspected jaw fracture, severe facial trauma with other injuries, or swelling that is making it difficult for you to breathe or swallow.
How can I manage severe tooth pain before my appointment? While you wait to see us, you can get temporary relief. The most effective methods are applying a cold compress to the outside of your cheek to reduce swelling and taking an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication like ibuprofen (if you are safely able to). Gently rinsing the area with warm salt water can also help clean it.
FAQs: More Common Questions About Urgent Dental Care
Q1: I'm not a regular patient at your office. Can I still be seen for an emergency? Yes, absolutely. Our priority is to get anyone in our Smyrna community out of pain and on the path to healing. We welcome all patients in need of urgent care, whether you are new to our practice or a long-time member of our dental family.
Q2: What if my dental emergency happens at night or on a weekend? Dental emergencies don't keep business hours. If you call our main office number after hours, our voicemail will provide clear instructions on how to reach our on-call team member for immediate guidance.
Q3: I'm worried about the cost of an emergency visit. Should I wait? No. We understand that an emergency is an unplanned expense, but delaying treatment almost always leads to a more severe, more painful, and more expensive problem. After our initial diagnosis, we will provide you with a transparent cost breakdown and discuss your options, including financing plans, before we proceed with any treatment.
Q4: Will I get my final, permanent fix during the emergency visit? The goal of an emergency visit is triage and stabilization. We focus on getting you out of pain, addressing any infection, and providing a stable solution for the immediate crisis. While some issues (like a simple filling) can be fixed permanently in one visit, more complex problems (like a root canal or an implant) will require a follow-up appointment for the final, permanent restoration.
In an Emergency, You Have a Partner in Care
Navigating a dental emergency is stressful, but you don't have to do it alone. Knowing these answers and, most importantly, having a trusted dental team to call can turn a moment of panic into a manageable situation with a clear path forward.
If you are in Smyrna and believe you are experiencing a dental emergency, do not hesitate. Your health and comfort are our top priorities. Save our number, and call Smyrna Dental Studio immediately for prompt and compassionate care.
