Emergency Dentist in Henderson, NV
If you are in pain, have swelling, or have broken or lost a tooth, call and say it is urgent. We will tell you what to do right now and get you in as soon as we can.
Find your situation
A tooth has been knocked out. This is the one where minutes matter. See below and call immediately.
Severe toothache, especially throbbing or keeping you awake. Usually the nerve. See emergency root canal.
Facial swelling. Take this seriously. Read the emergency room section below before anything else.
Broken or cracked tooth. Depends on how deep. Call and describe it.
Lost filling or crown. Uncomfortable, rarely urgent. Call and we will get you in.
Bleeding that will not stop. Pressure with clean gauze for fifteen minutes. If it continues, call.
Something is stuck between your teeth. Try floss gently. Never anything sharp or metal.
Go to an emergency room, not a dental office, if
This matters more than anything else on this page.
- Swelling that is spreading, particularly toward your eye or down into your neck
- Difficulty breathing or swallowing
- Fever alongside dental pain or swelling
- You cannot open your mouth more than a couple of centimeters
- Facial trauma involving possible broken jaw, or a head injury
- Bleeding you cannot control with sustained pressure
A dental infection that reaches the airway or the eye socket is a medical emergency, and it can move faster than people expect. If any of the above applies, go to an emergency room or call 911. Do not wait for a dental appointment and do not wait to see whether it settles overnight.
Everything else on this page can be handled by a dentist.
What to do right now
A knocked-out permanent tooth
Time is everything. A tooth reimplanted within the first hour has a far better chance than one reimplanted after several.
- Pick it up by the crown, the chewing part. Never touch the root.
- If it is dirty, rinse it briefly in milk or water. Do not scrub it, do not use soap, and do not dry it. The cells on the root surface are what allow it to reattach.
- If you can, put it back in the socket the right way round and bite gently on a clean cloth to hold it.
- If you cannot, keep it in milk. Saliva works too, held in the cheek, as long as there is no swallowing risk. Water is the worst option because it damages the root cells.
- Call us immediately on (702) 616-1942.
A knocked-out baby tooth is different. Do not put it back, because doing so can damage the permanent tooth developing underneath. Call us anyway.
Severe toothache
Rinse with warm salt water. Take over-the-counter pain relief as directed on the packet. A cold compress on the outside of the cheek, twenty minutes on and twenty off, helps with swelling.
Do not put aspirin directly on the gum. It is an acid and it burns the tissue, which leaves you with a chemical burn on top of the toothache.
Pain that throbs, wakes you at night, or lingers after something hot or cold usually means the nerve is involved. That needs treatment, not painkillers, and it will not resolve on its own. See emergency root canal.
A broken or cracked tooth
Rinse with warm water. Cold compress for swelling. Keep any pieces you can find and bring them.
If the break is deep enough to expose the inside of the tooth, it will be sharply sensitive and it needs seeing quickly. A crown saves most cracked teeth if they are treated before the crack runs below the gum line. After that, often not.
A lost crown or filling
Keep the crown, do not throw it away. Temporary dental cement from a pharmacy will hold it for a day or two. Never use household glue.
Avoid chewing on that side and call us. The exposed tooth is sensitive and the neighboring teeth can drift enough to affect how the crown fits when it goes back on.
An abscess
A painful swelling, sometimes with a pimple-like spot on the gum, often with a bad taste. This is an infection and it needs treating.
Rinse with warm salt water. Do not attempt to burst it. Call us, and re-read the emergency room section above, because this is the situation most likely to escalate.
A bitten lip, cheek or tongue
Clean gently. Firm pressure with gauze for fifteen minutes. Cold compress. If bleeding does not stop after fifteen minutes of steady pressure, seek urgent care.
What happens when you come in
We work out what is causing the pain, get you comfortable, and explain the options before doing anything.
The first appointment is usually about relief and stabilization rather than the whole fix. That might mean draining an infection, starting root canal treatment, or placing a temporary restoration. The definitive work follows once you are out of pain and can make decisions without a toothache making them for you.
You will be told what is happening and why before it happens.
If you are anxious about coming in
Dental anxiety and dental emergencies go together more often than not, partly because avoidance is what turned a small problem into an urgent one.
Say so when you call. Oral sedation is available, and even without it, knowing in advance changes how we run the appointment. Nobody here is going to comment on how long it has been.
How do people pay for emergency treatment?
You will know what is involved before treatment starts.
Emergency care is often covered at least in part by dental insurance, and our team will check your plan. We also offer affordable payment options, including CareCredit, Proceed Finance and in-house payment plans.
Cost is not a reason to sit on an infection. Call and we will work it out.
What counts as an emergency and what can wait
| Call now | Book soon |
|---|---|
| Knocked-out tooth | Dull ache that comes and goes |
| Severe or worsening pain | Mild sensitivity to cold |
| Facial swelling | Small chip with no pain |
| Uncontrolled bleeding | Lost filling, no pain |
| Broken tooth with exposed nerve | Food catching between teeth |
| Abscess | Rough edge on a tooth |
When you are not sure, call and describe it. Working that out is our job, not yours.
Frequently asked questions
Do you see emergencies same day?
In most cases we will see emergencies the same day.
What if it is after hours or the weekend?
For anything involving spreading swelling, fever, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, go to an emergency room rather than waiting for the office to open.
Can I be seen if I am not already a patient?
Yes of course
Will a toothache go away on its own?
The pain sometimes does. That is not the same as the problem resolving, and it can mean the nerve has died rather than healed. The infection continues underneath.
Can I just get antibiotics?
Antibiotics can control an infection temporarily and they do not treat the cause. The tooth still needs treating, and a course of antibiotics without follow-up usually means the same infection returns worse.
How much pain relief can I take?
Follow the directions on the packet, and tell us what you have taken when you arrive. Do not exceed the stated dose, and do not put anything directly on the gum.
Should I go to an urgent care clinic instead?
Urgent care and emergency rooms are the right choice for the situations listed above, and they can manage pain and infection. What they generally cannot do is treat the tooth. Most people who go to an ER with a toothache end up needing a dentist afterward.
Get seen
Call (702) 616-1942. Describe what is happening and we will tell you what to do next.
Augusta Dental, 1485 W Warm Springs Rd, Ste 101, Henderson, NV 89014.