HomeEmergency Dentistry

High-quality dentistry when you need it most.

A dental emergency does not usually mean the emergency room. Wherever it is possible, space is made in the schedule to see you the same day.

Call (571) 619-9442What to do right now
Same dayWherever possible
2 officesMcLean and Alexandria
SedationAvailable if you need it
Dental emergency, or medical emergency?

If you have neck or head pain, are bleeding uncontrollably, feel dizzy, or have suffered severe trauma, this page is not the right place. Seek immediate medical attention: call 911 or get to the nearest medical facility. Medical personnel are best equipped for those symptoms.

For everything below — a tooth, a filling, an abscess, a socket — call the practice.

What Counts

Eight reasons to call the same day.

Dental emergencies are alarming, and the first question is usually whether it is one at all. If you are experiencing any of these, it is.

  • Sudden or severe toothache
  • An infected or abscessed tooth
  • A loose tooth or filling
  • A fractured or broken tooth
  • Painful or inflamed gums
  • A dislodged or knocked-out tooth
  • A broken or damaged denture
  • A chipped or cracked tooth or crown

Treatment here covers root canals, repair of a loose or lost filling, and treatment of painful infections. You will be seen with urgency, and without being made to feel you have overreacted.

Right Now

Five situations, and what to do before you arrive.

The first twenty minutes matter more in some of these than in others. Open the one that matches.

A knocked-out tooth
Act now — this one is time-critical. If you can, put the tooth back in its socket and hold it there until you are seen. If you cannot, place it in a small container of milk to preserve it. Do not scrub it clean. Replaced in the socket within the right window and held with a splint, the tooth may be saveable. The same applies to one that has been partially dislodged.
A toothache that will not go away
Pain that persists generally means infection, often inside the tooth. Sometimes a filling is the whole answer. But extreme sensitivity, or sharp pain when you bite or chew, can point to the tooth root — and those cases usually need root canal therapy before the pain can be relieved.
A broken tooth
Minor chips and cracks can wait for a normal appointment. A tooth that is broken or fractured after trauma cannot, because the damage may run past the outside surface into the tooth. Depending on the size and extent of the break you may need a filling, a crown or a root canal; the most severe cases need an emergency extraction.
An abscess
An infection from an injury, a cavity or previous dental work can form an abscess at the base of the tooth root. Treatment frequently means an emergency root canal to clear the damaged pulp out of the root.
Dry socket, after an extraction
If you have recently had a tooth out and the pain has become intense, the blood clot in the empty socket may have been dislodged, exposing the bone and nerves beneath it. This needs treating immediately to prevent infection — usually by cleaning the socket and packing the space with gauze.
On Arrival

Diagnosed quickly, then made comfortable.

The treatment rooms are equipped to work out what is wrong fast and accurately, which in an emergency is most of the job — the wrong diagnosis costs more time than the treatment does.

Facilities and equipment meet current safety standards, including strict sterilization protocols. And a custom level of sedation is available, which matters here more than anywhere: people arriving in pain are rarely calm, and being told to relax has never once worked.

Sedation options

Where to go next.

Resolve your toothache today.

Stay calm and call without delay. Space is made in the schedule the same day wherever it is possible.

Contact the practice
McLean · (571) 619-9442Alexandria · (571) 410-3430