Dental Emergencies

If you need emergency treatment and you call during our regular office hours, immediate attention will be given to your situation. We will make arrangements to see you at our office as soon as we can.

Should you have a dental emergency during a time when our office is closed, give us a call and listen carefully to the recorded message for further instruction. One of our team members will call you back as soon as possible. In case of a severe or life-threatening situation, call 911 right away or go to your nearest emergency room for treatment.

If you need to see a periodontist for urgent care, simply call our office. We’ll ask you to explain your situation and we’ll determine whether an emergency appointment is required. The earlier in the day that you call our office, the more likely it is that we’ll be able to schedule you for a same-day visit.

Often when a dental implant feels loose, it’s because the restoration attached to the implant—the bridge, denture, or crown—has become loose, not the actual dental implant. Tightening it requires only a simple, quick visit to our office. If, on the other hand, the dental implant itself is loose, that’s a dental emergency that requires prompt care.

If the restoration attached to your dental implant is loose, it very rarely compromises your dental implant. Sometimes the actual dental implant will become loose due to dental trauma, infection, or implant failure. Depending on the cause, we may be able to save the implant with prompt treatment, but not always. If your implant needs to be removed, we will wait until the soft tissue and bone heal before placing a new implant.

Dental implant failure is very rare, but that doesn’t mean it never happens. If you’re concerned that one or more of your dental implants have failed, signs to look out for include inflammation in the gums and soft tissues surrounding the implant, difficulty biting and chewing, gum recession around the implant, severe pain, and an implant that is loose or seems to have moved. The sooner you come to our office for an evaluation and treatment, the more likely it is that we’ll be able to save your dental implant.

No, gum disease is not usually a dental emergency, but some of the conditions associated with gum disease can be. Gum disease may cause your teeth to become loose or fall out and it can also lead to severe dental infections, both of which require emergency treatment. If you have gum disease, call our office to schedule an evaluation.