Emergency dentist in Decatur, GA.

What counts as a dental emergency?

Call us the same day for any of the following. Do not wait to see whether it settles.

• Severe or escalating toothache, particularly if it is keeping you awake
• Swelling of the gum, jaw, or face, or a bad taste that keeps returning
• A knocked-out permanent tooth — this is time-critical, see below
• A broken, cracked, or fractured tooth, especially if the inside is exposed
• A lost crown, bridge, or filling leaving a sharp edge or sensitive surface
• Bleeding from the gum that does not stop with pressure
• Trauma to the mouth from a fall, sport, or accident
• A dental abscess — a painful, often swollen area around a tooth

Go to a hospital emergency room instead if there is swelling affecting your breathing or swallowing, swelling spreading toward the eye or down the neck, a fever with facial swelling, uncontrolled bleeding, or a suspected broken jaw. Those need emergency medical care, not a dental chair.

What do I do right now, before I can get in?

Knocked-out permanent tooth

This is the one true clock in dentistry. Pick the tooth up by the crown, never the root. If it is dirty, rinse it gently in milk or saline — not water, and do not scrub it or remove any tissue attached to the root. If you can, place it back in the socket and hold it there, biting gently on a clean cloth. If you cannot, keep it in milk, or in saliva inside your own cheek if you are sure it will not be swallowed. Then call us immediately. Replantation is most successful within the first thirty minutes to an hour. Do not attempt to replant a baby tooth — call us instead.

Severe toothache

Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen, taken as directed on the packaging, is generally more effective for dental pain than acetaminophen alone, provided you can take it. Rinse with warm salt water. A cold compress on the outside of the face can help. Do not put aspirin directly on the gum — it burns the tissue. Sleeping with your head elevated often reduces throbbing. Then call us in the morning.

Broken or chipped tooth

Save any fragment in milk if you have it. Rinse your mouth with warm water. If there is a sharp edge, covering it with sugar-free chewing gum or orthodontic wax protects your tongue and cheek until we see you. Avoid chewing on that side.

Lost crown or filling

Keep the crown if you still have it — it can often be re-cemented. Temporary dental cement from a pharmacy is acceptable for a day or two; household adhesives are not, ever. Avoid the area and call us.

How quickly can you see me?

We build same-day emergency appointments into every single day, specifically so that patients in pain are not told to wait a week. They are limited in number, which is why calling first thing in the morning matters — by mid-afternoon the day’s emergency capacity is often claimed.

When you call, describe what is happening plainly: where it hurts, how long, whether there is swelling, whether you have a fever, and whether you have taken anything for it. That lets the front desk triage correctly. If we cannot see you and your situation needs faster attention than we can give it, we will tell you that directly and point you to where to go.

Can I be seen as an emergency if I am not already a patient?

Yes. You do not need to be an existing patient of the practice to be seen for an emergency, and you will not be asked to commit to anything beyond the visit you came for. Bring a photo ID, your dental benefit card if you have one, and a list of any medications you take and any allergies. If you have had recent radiographs elsewhere, say so.

Emergency visits are normally covered in part by dental benefit plans as a problem-focused examination plus whatever treatment is provided. For urgent treatment beyond what a plan covers, Sunbit and CareCredit financing can spread the cost — nobody should be deciding between pain and a bill on the same morning.

What will happen at the visit?

The first objective is finding the source and getting you comfortable. That typically means a problem-focused examination, a radiograph of the area, and a diagnosis, followed by treatment to relieve the immediate problem: draining an abscess, placing a sedative dressing, beginning root canal treatment, smoothing or repairing a fracture, re-cementing a crown, or, where the tooth cannot be saved, an extraction.

Definitive restoration often happens at a later appointment once the acute phase has settled, and you will leave knowing what the next step is and when. Emergency care is not a sales opportunity, and nothing beyond resolving the urgent problem needs deciding on the day.