Symptoms
Dental symptom guides
What a symptom might mean, what you can do about it tonight, and when it is time to call.
Go to an emergency room instead if
A dental office is the wrong place for these. They need a hospital now. Call us afterward and we will take care of the dental side.
- Swelling that is closing an eye or spreading down the neck
- Difficulty breathing or swallowing
- A suspected broken jaw
- Bleeding that will not stop after firm pressure
For anything else, call 540-921-3323. Appointment scheduling is available 24/7.
Something is not right
Most of these are worth a call but not a panic. Each guide says what to watch for and when it needs a dentist.
- Bleeding gums A little pink in the sink after brushing is common, and it is usually your gums telling you something early, while it is still easy to put right. Here is what it most often means, what to do, and when to call.
- Bad breath Nearly everyone has bad breath some of the time. Breath that stays bad after brushing usually has a cause in the mouth, and those causes can be found and treated.
- Tooth sensitivity A quick, sharp twinge from something cold or sweet is common, and usually manageable. Pain that lingers after the cold has gone is a different thing, and it is worth knowing the difference.
- Cracked tooth A tooth can crack without looking broken. Often the only clue is a sharp pain when you bite down on something, or just as you let go.
- Wisdom tooth pain Pain at the very back of the mouth is often a wisdom tooth. It usually comes down to one of a few causes, and which one it is decides what should happen next.
Something has happened
A broken tooth, a knocked-out tooth, a swelling. The first few minutes can decide what can be saved, so each guide starts with what to do right now.
- Toothache A toothache usually means something has reached the nerve inside a tooth or the gum around it. Here is what tends to cause one, what helps until you are seen, and the signs that mean you should not wait.
- Broken or chipped tooth Teeth tend to break on something ordinary: an olive pit, a hard candy, a popcorn kernel. Here is how to tell a chip from a crack from a break, what to do before you get here, and how each one is usually repaired.
- Knocked-out tooth Minutes matter. An adult tooth that has been knocked out has its best chance of being saved if it goes back in quickly, ideally within the first hour. Do these steps first, then call.
- Lost filling or crown A lost filling or crown is rarely an emergency. It is still a tooth without its cover, though, and the sooner it is covered again, the simpler the fix tends to be.
- Dental abscess An abscess is a pocket of infection, usually at the tip of a tooth's root. It needs a dentist soon, and sometimes it needs a hospital first.
- Emergency extractions Sometimes a tooth cannot be saved, or taking it out is the only way to stop the pain. When that happens, it comes out with the area fully numb and each step explained first.
Not sure how urgent it is?
Call and tell whoever answers what has happened. They will get you seen, and the guides above say what to do in the meantime.
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