emergency dentistry
Dental emergency? Call us. Here's what to do first.
Call 434-823-4080. During office hours you reach the front desk directly — tell them what happened, and we'll tell you exactly what to do next. A doctor is in the building every weekday.
Not sure it counts as an emergency? Call anyway. Ten seconds on the phone beats an evening of guessing. Below: what to do right now for the most common situations, while you're on your way or waiting for a callback.
Do this first, by situation
Knocked-out tooth: minutes matter. Pick it up by the crown, not the root. Don't scrub it. Put it in milk. Call on the way — the full steps are on the knocked-out tooth page.
Severe toothache: floss gently around the tooth first — trapped food causes more emergencies than people expect. Rinse warm salt water. Cold compress outside the cheek. Nothing hot on it. Details on the toothache page.
Broken or cracked tooth: rinse, save any pieces in milk, and cover a sharp edge with sugar-free gum or drugstore dental wax. Page: broken or cracked tooth.
Swelling with fever, or swelling spreading toward your eye or neck: that can be an abscess moving. If swallowing or breathing is affected, go to the ER or call 911 first — then call us. Abscess page has the full triage.
What happens when you call
You talk to a person, describe what happened, and get two things: instructions for right now, and a time to be seen. Bring the tooth, the crown, the pieces — whatever you have. Bring your questions too.
In pain but it's not sudden? Same number. Pain that has been building for weeks deserves a visit this week, not a heroic tolerance streak.
After the emergency: the repair plan
The emergency visit ends the pain and stabilizes the tooth; it rarely finishes the story. Before you leave you'll know what comes next — a crown over a root canal, a replacement plan for a tooth that couldn't be saved, or just a follow-up check — with costs laid out before anything is scheduled.
If the tooth was lost, you'll hear every replacement option with real trade-offs, including doing nothing for now. An emergency is a bad day, not a sales opportunity.
Questions we hear in the chair
- Will I know what the visit costs before I come in?
- Yes — ask when you call and you'll get the visit cost before you drive over, and anything we find gets priced before it gets treated — estimated costs explained before treatment begins, even on a bad day.
- What if it happens outside office hours?
- For swelling that affects breathing or swallowing, or trauma beyond the tooth, the emergency room comes first — call us once you're safe. For anything that can hold until morning, call when we open and say the word emergency; that word moves you to the front of the day.
- Do you see emergencies the same day?
- Call first — that's the fastest path. With at least two full-time doctors in the building Monday through Friday, emergencies are part of how the schedule is built. The front desk will give you a real time, not a maybe.
- What if it happens on a weekend or at night?
- Call the same number and follow the instructions you hear. For swelling that affects breathing or swallowing, uncontrolled bleeding, or facial trauma — skip the callback and go straight to the emergency room. Then call us.
- I'm not a patient there. Will you still see me?
- Yes. Call, tell us what's happening, and we'll take it from there. Emergencies don't check registration status.
- How do I know if it's a real emergency?
- Knocked-out or loose tooth, swelling, fever with tooth pain, bleeding that won't stop, or pain that keeps you from sleeping — call now. A lost filling or a chipped tooth without pain can usually wait a day or two, but call anyway and let us make that judgment with you.
Clinical content reviewed by Dr. Marissa DeAngelis, Senior Dentist.
Serving Crozet for 50+ years. At least two full-time doctors in the building, Monday through Friday. Call for current availability.