A dental emergency is frightening and painful, and when you are in one you do not want to wade through a website. You want to know what to do right now and who will help. This page gives you both: clear first-aid steps for the most common dental emergencies, and how to reach Reston Serenity Smiles. If you are having a dental emergency, call or text us now at 571-313-8415.
Dr. Majid Dastgir and our team treat dental emergencies for patients across Reston and the surrounding Northern Virginia communities. Whether you are already a patient or have never been in before, call us first and we will do our best to help you get out of pain.
When to call us right now, and when it can wait until morning
Not every dental problem is a true emergency, and knowing the difference saves you worry and a sleepless night.
Call right away for severe or worsening pain, a knocked-out or pushed-out tooth, a broken tooth with sharp pain, bleeding that will not stop, or swelling in your face, gums, or jaw. Swelling in particular should never wait, because an untreated infection can spread and become dangerous.
It can usually wait a day or two for a dull ache that eases with over-the-counter pain relief, a lost filling or crown that does not hurt, a small chip with no sharp edge, or food stuck between teeth. Call during office hours and we will get you scheduled promptly.
Children’s emergencies deserve special mention. A knocked-out or broken tooth after a fall or a sports injury should be treated quickly, so call us right away. For a knocked-out baby tooth, do not try to put it back in, but do call so we can check for damage to the tooth developing underneath.
When in doubt, call. We would always rather talk it through than have you sit at home in pain, unsure whether it counts as an emergency. A quick phone call often tells us whether you need to come in now or can wait comfortably until the next available appointment.
When we can see you
Our office is open Monday from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, Tuesday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Wednesday and Thursday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. We are closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
If you have a dental emergency during our office hours, call us as early in the day as you can. We do our best to see patients in genuine pain as soon as possible, often the same day, so the sooner you call, the sooner we can help.
If you reach us when we are closed, leave a message and we will return your call as soon as we reopen. If your situation is severe, do not wait: for swelling that is spreading or affecting your breathing or swallowing, uncontrolled bleeding, or a serious facial injury, go to the nearest emergency room or call 911. Those situations need medical care right away, and we will follow up on the dental side once you are stable.
What to expect when you come in for an emergency
Walking into an unfamiliar office in pain is stressful, so here is what happens when you arrive. Our first priority is simple: get you comfortable. We do not make you sit through paperwork while you are hurting.
- We assess the problem with a focused exam and any X-rays we need to see what is really going on, including anything hidden below the gum.
- We get you out of pain first, whether that means numbing the area, draining an infection, or stabilizing a broken or knocked-out tooth.
- We explain what we found in plain language, along with your options and what each one costs, before we do any further treatment.
- We make a plan for anything that cannot be finished in the emergency visit, so you leave knowing exactly what comes next.
Sometimes a single visit resolves the whole problem. Other times we relieve the pain and infection first and schedule the definitive repair, such as a crown or an implant, once things have settled. Either way, you will not be left guessing.
Dental emergencies we treat, and what to do right now
Here is how to handle the most common dental emergencies before you reach us, and what treatment usually involves once you do.
Severe toothache
Rinse with warm water and gently floss around the tooth to remove any trapped food that might be causing pressure. Take an over-the-counter pain reliever as directed, and use a cold compress on the outside of your cheek if there is swelling. Do not place aspirin directly on the gum, which can burn the tissue. A toothache that is severe, throbbing, or wakes you at night usually means the nerve is inflamed or infected. Call us. Relief comes from treating the cause, which may be a filling, a root canal, or, if the tooth cannot be saved, an extraction.
Knocked-out tooth
Time matters more here than with any other emergency. Pick the tooth up by the crown, never the root, and gently rinse off dirt without scrubbing or removing any attached tissue. If you can, place it back in the socket and hold it there by biting gently on a clean cloth. If you cannot reinsert it, keep it moist in a container of milk, or tucked in your cheek, or in your own saliva, never in plain water for long. A tooth reimplanted within about an hour has the best chance of surviving, so call us on your way in. For a baby tooth, do not try to reinsert it; call us for guidance.
Chipped or broken tooth
Rinse your mouth with warm water and save any pieces of the tooth if you can find them. Use a cold compress on the outside of your cheek to reduce swelling, and cover a sharp edge with dental wax or a piece of sugarless gum so it does not cut your tongue or lip. Avoid chewing on that side. Call us to have it assessed. Depending on the damage, treatment ranges from smoothing and bonding a small chip to a crown for a larger break, or root canal treatment if the crack reaches the nerve.
Lost filling or crown
Keep the crown if you still have it and bring it with you, as it can sometimes be re-cemented. You can protect the exposed tooth with over-the-counter dental cement from a pharmacy or, temporarily, a piece of sugarless gum, and chew on the other side. This is usually not a middle-of-the-night emergency, but call promptly, because an exposed tooth can be sensitive to hot, cold, and air, and it can decay or shift if it is left too long. The longer a crown is off, the more likely the tooth moves just enough that the old crown no longer fits.
Abscess or facial swelling
This one should not wait. A dental abscess is an infection, often signaled by a painful, pimple-like bump on the gum, a bad taste in the mouth, fever, or swelling in the face or jaw. Rinse with mild salt water for temporary relief and call us right away, because an infection can spread. If the swelling is spreading toward your eye or down your neck, or you have any trouble breathing or swallowing, treat it as a medical emergency and go to the emergency room immediately.
Broken denture or dental appliance
Stop wearing a broken denture, retainer, or nightguard so a sharp edge does not cut your mouth, and do not try to glue it back together yourself. Household glues are toxic and can make a proper repair impossible. Keep all the pieces and bring them in, and we will advise on whether it can be repaired or needs to be remade.
Injury to the lips, tongue, or cheek
Clean the area gently and apply a cold compress to control swelling. Light bleeding can usually be managed with gentle, steady pressure using clean gauze. If bleeding is heavy or does not slow after about fifteen minutes of pressure, seek emergency medical care, as deep cuts may need stitches.
Something stuck between your teeth
Try to remove it gently with dental floss. Never use a pin, needle, or anything sharp, which can injure your gum or scratch a tooth. If floss does not work, leave it alone and call us rather than risk hurting yourself trying to dig it out.
What counts as a medical emergency instead
Some situations are beyond what any dental office should handle. Go straight to the emergency room or call 911 for:
- Swelling that is spreading or affecting your breathing or swallowing
- A jaw that may be broken or dislocated
- Bleeding that will not stop with sustained pressure
- A head or facial injury with dizziness, confusion, or loss of consciousness
When your safety is in question, always choose the emergency room. We can pick up the dental care once you are stable.
What emergency treatment costs, and payment options
The cost of emergency care depends entirely on what is wrong and what it takes to fix it, from a simple adjustment to a root canal and crown. What does not change is our approach: we explain the problem and give you the cost before we begin treatment, even in an emergency, so you are never surprised by the bill afterward.
If you are not already a patient here, you are welcome all the same. We will verify any insurance you have and file the claim for you where we can, and for larger treatment we offer flexible payment plans through Cherry so that cost is not a barrier to getting out of pain. You can read more on our insurance and financing page.
If you are in pain and anxious
Emergencies are stressful even for people who are usually fine at the dentist, and genuinely frightening if you already have dental anxiety. We plan emergency visits with your comfort in mind, explain each step before it happens, and offer sedation for patients who need it. If nerves are part of what has kept you from getting help, read about our sedation dentistry options, then call and tell us. Getting you out of pain comfortably is the whole goal.
Why patients trust us in an emergency
When you are in pain, you want a steady, straightforward dentist, not a sales pitch. Because Reston Serenity Smiles is a single-location practice, the dentist who sees you in the emergency is the one who follows through on your care, so nothing falls through the cracks between offices. Dr. Dastgir handles a wide range of urgent problems in-house, from severe toothaches and infections to broken teeth and lost restorations, which means fewer referrals and faster relief for you.
We also treat you like a person having a hard day, because you are. We explain what is happening, give you honest options and honest prices, and offer sedation if anxiety or the procedure calls for it. New patients and longtime patients get the same care. If you are hurting, that is reason enough to call.
How to avoid the next dental emergency
Many dental emergencies are preventable, and the habits that keep your teeth healthy are the same ones that keep you out of the emergency chair:
- Keep your regular checkups and cleanings, so small problems are caught before they become painful ones.
- Do not use your teeth as tools to open packaging, and avoid biting hard objects like ice, popcorn kernels, and hard candy.
- Wear a mouthguard for contact sports and a nightguard if you grind or clench.
- Address a nagging ache or a small chip early, rather than waiting for it to turn into a 2 a.m. crisis.
It is worth knowing that most emergencies are not bad luck. They trace back to a small problem that went unnoticed or ignored: a hairline crack, a filling wearing at the edges, a spot of decay reaching the nerve, or early gum disease. At a routine checkup we catch those while they are still quick and inexpensive to fix, long before they wake you up at night. A tooth that gets a small filling this year is a tooth that does not become a root canal or an extraction next year.
Consistent preventive care is the most comfortable and least expensive dentistry there is, and it is the best insurance against a future emergency.
Frequently asked questions
Do you see emergency patients who are not already patients?
Whether or not you are already a patient here, call us at 571-313-8415 and we will do our best to help. We treat patients from across Reston and the surrounding Northern Virginia communities, and a dental emergency is a good reason to call even if it is your first time reaching us.
What do I do with a knocked-out tooth?
Handle it by the crown, not the root, and rinse it gently without scrubbing. If you can, place it back in the socket and bite on a clean cloth to hold it. If not, keep it in milk or your own saliva and get to us as fast as possible. Reimplantation works best within about an hour, so call on your way.
How fast can you see me?
If you call during our office hours, Monday through Thursday, we do our best to see genuine dental emergencies as soon as possible, often the same day. The earlier in the day you call, the better. If we are closed, leave a message and we will return your call when we reopen, and for severe symptoms go to the nearest emergency room.
What does an emergency visit cost?
It depends on what treatment you need, and we always explain the cost before we begin. We verify your insurance, file the claim where we can, and offer payment plans through Cherry so you can get out of pain without worrying about paying all at once.
What if my emergency happens on a weekend?
We are closed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. If you have a dental emergency then, leave us a message and we will get back to you as soon as we reopen. For severe swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing, uncontrolled bleeding, or a facial injury, do not wait for us: go to the nearest emergency room or call 911.
In a dental emergency in Reston? Call us now
If you are in pain, do not tough it out and hope it passes. Dental problems rarely improve on their own, and early treatment is almost always simpler, more comfortable, and less expensive than waiting. Call or text Reston Serenity Smiles at 571-313-8415 during our office hours and tell us what is happening, and we will do our best to get you seen and out of pain as quickly as we can. We care for emergency patients from Reston, Herndon, Great Falls, Vienna, Oakton, McLean, Sterling, Ashburn, and Chantilly, and the surrounding Northern Virginia communities.