Our team at Dental Associates of Lodi is committed to providing you with compassionate dental care when you need it most. If you call our office with a dental emergency during our regular hours, we will give your situation immediate attention and make arrangements to see you as soon as we are able. 

If you have a dental emergency during a time when our office is closed, give us a call and follow the instructions provided on the recorded message. Dr Liao or a member of his team will return your call as soon as possible. In cases of serious or life-threatening emergencies, call 911 right away or visit the nearest emergency room for treatment.

How do I get an emergency dentist appointment?

Call our office during our regular office hours and we will see you as soon as we can. We will do our best to see you for same-day emergency dental care, depending on the time of day that you call. 

What is considered a dental emergency?

We typically consider a situation an emergency if immediate treatment is needed in order to save a compromised tooth and if you’re experiencing uncontrolled bleeding or unbearable pain. Loose dental implants and broken restorations may or may not be dental emergencies as well, depending on the circumstances. 

The most common dental emergencies we treat in our office include:

• Dental trauma from an accident or sports injury
• Broken or fractured tooth
• Uncontrolled dental pain, even after taking over-the-counter pain relievers
• Facial swelling or gum swelling
• Wisdom tooth pain that makes it difficult to eat
• Avulsed tooth (a tooth that has been knocked out)

Can a loose implant be saved?

Loose dental implants can usually be saved. The most common reason an implant might feel loose is because the restoration attached to the implant—the crown, bridge, or denture—has become loose. We can secure the restoration to your implant at our office with a quick, painless appointment. Very rarely, the dental implant itself may be loose. When this occurs, we may or may not be able to save it. If an implant is compromised due to infection or injury, it sometimes needs to be removed. Once your jaw and soft tissues have healed, a new implant can usually be placed.

What helps unbearable tooth pain?

If you’re dealing with unbearable tooth pain, it’s likely that you have a serious dental problem that needs urgent treatment. Call our office for an emergency appointment. You can temporarily relieve the pain with over-the-counter pain medication, ice packs, and numbing gels, but the only way to treat it is to resolve the underlying problem.

What should I do if a crown falls out?

If your dental crown falls out, you’ll need to protect the remaining tooth structure from damage and infection. A piece of dental wax pressed gently onto the tooth will help or, failing that, you can use a small piece of sugarless gum. Save the broken crown and bring it with you to your appointment. A crown can often be bonded back into place, although sometimes a new crown will need to be fabricated if the original one is damaged or part of your tooth broke off with the crown.

Can a dentist fix broken dentures?

Yes, we may be able to fix your broken denture, depending on the type of damage it has sustained. At the very least, your denture can usually be temporarily fixed while you wait for a new denture to be fabricated.