emergency dentistry
Emergency extractions: last resort, done right.
Extraction is the treatment we argue ourselves out of first. But when a tooth is broken below the bone, split beyond repair, or hosting an infection that endodontics can't clear, removing it is the honest fix — and doing it promptly beats another week of pain.
Call 434-823-4080. You'll get the exam, the X-ray, and the real options — including the save-the-tooth option whenever one legitimately exists.
What the visit looks like
Numb first, always — and verified numb before anything proceeds, with the stop-signal rule in force: raise a hand, everything pauses. Most single-tooth extractions take minutes once anesthesia is working; the dread is nearly always worse than the procedure.
You leave with gauze, plain-English aftercare, and our number. Wisdom teeth have their own patterns and their own page under general dentistry.
Aftercare, and the gap question
The first 24 hours protect the clot: bite on gauze, skip straws, spitting, and smoking — suction is how dry socket happens. Soft food, no heavy lifting today, ibuprofen per the label. Throbbing that spikes on day two or three instead of fading: call us, that's the dry-socket signature and it's treatable same visit.
Before you leave, the gap gets a plan — even if the plan is 'decide next month.' An implant preserves the bone best; a bridge is faster; sometimes watchful waiting is legitimate. What we won't do is pull a tooth and wave goodbye.
Questions we hear in the chair
- Can you pull the tooth the same day you see me?
- Often, when the exam confirms extraction is the right call and your health history allows. Call first and describe what's happening — the front desk builds the time for it.
- Extraction or root canal — how do you decide?
- Structure decides. Enough sound tooth to rebuild on: root canal and crown, saving the original. Split roots, breaks below bone level, or too little left to restore: extraction. You'll see the X-ray and hear the reasoning either way.
- How much does an emergency extraction cost?
- It depends on the tooth and how it comes out — simple extractions and surgical ones differ. The figure comes before consent, in writing, with insurance already checked. Pain never gets used against your wallet here.
- How soon can I get an implant in the space?
- Sometimes the same visit as the extraction; more often after some weeks of healing. Your bone and the site decide, and the timing is mapped in the plan you leave with.
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.