Dental emergencies are stressful and inconvenient, but we make it easier by offering extended hours. Monday-Friday we’re open until 6pm and we have Saturday appointments available!
A serious dental issue can be painful and debilitating. At Vivid Smiles®, you can trust us to provide relief from your pain and to treat the underlying issue to get your life back to normal.
Whether you need after-hours care, a same day appointment, or a weekend visit, our team is flexible and can provide you with the care you need.
Getting immediate care for a dental emergency is the best way to ensure that you save your tooth, eliminate pain, and avoid further complications related to your condition. At Vivid Smiles, we offer same-day appointments for all of our patients. If possible, we ask that you call ahead at (812) 803-2340 to let us know you’re coming in so we can prepare accordingly, but we know this isn’t always possible. You can also walk into our office at 2512 Wabash Avenue, Terre Haute, IN 47803, and we’ll treat you as soon as we can.
At Vivid Smiles, we offer extended hours throughout the week for emergency appointments to make sure you can get the care that you need to preserve your smile. We’re also open on Saturdays because we know that dental emergencies don’t just happen during the week. Our team is skilled at providing efficient care when you need it most, so don’t hesitate to call or come in if you are experiencing a dental emergency.
Some dental emergencies are more obvious than others. An oral injury like a loose or knocked-out (avulsed), cracked, or chipped out tooth will always require professional emergency dental care. However, there are also other conditions that count as dental emergencies. If you pull out or damage dental work like a filling or crown, for example, this counts as an emergency. The same is true of a serious toothache, which could indicate an infected tooth. If you are in pain and you do not know how to treat your dental condition on your own, it’s important to seek emergency care as soon as possible.
While root canal therapy isn’t an emergency on its own, root canals are commonly performed as emergency dental procedures. If you are experiencing pain, discoloration of the gums, swelling, sensitivity to hot and cold, a hole in the tooth or an exposed nerve, an abscess, or darkening of the tooth, these are all signs of damaged pulp that needs root canal treatment.
However, how do we distinguish between a regular root canal and one that is considered an emergency? It qualifies as a dental emergency if you are experiencing significant pain, have an infection, or your tooth’s nerves are exposed. These indicate that something is wrong with your tooth, it is affecting your ability to function, is causing you pain and discomfort, and needs prompt treatment.
Yes, you can receive dental sedation for any dental procedure, no matter how big or how small. Children or adults with severe dental anxiety, a strong gag reflex, low pain tolerance, or an inability to sit still for long periods are ideal candidates for dental sedation, even for a routine cleaning or a dental filling.
Dental emergencies are more likely to involve significant pain and more complex procedures so this is even more reason to opt for sedation to make you more comfortable. At the end of the day, your decision to get sedated is entirely up to you and your comfort level.
If you have extreme anxiety during a minor procedure, we can sedate you. If you feel it’s unnecessary to be sedated even for a more invasive procedure, that is your decision.
Something is considered a dental emergency when it requires immediate treatment, is inflicting pain, causing you to bleed, or could result in tooth loss. Some examples of dental emergencies include:
Notice that even a toothache can be considered a dental emergency if it is causing you significant pain. This is because healthy teeth do not experience toothaches unless they have suffered from dental trauma. Experiencing a toothache with no explanation suggests that something is wrong with the tooth and could be a sign of tooth decay, gum disease, injury, or infection.
The only time you should go to the emergency room for a dental emergency is if you have a life-threatening injury or condition such as a fractured or dislocated jaw, lacerations to the face or mouth, dangerous uncontrollable bleeding, and swelling that is impacting your ability to breathe or swallow.
The emergency room is for serious, life-threatening situations. If your emergency can wait until you go to the dentist, then it is not advisable to go to the emergency room at a hospital. Hospitals rarely have oral surgeons or dental experts on call so they may not have the proper tools or resources to treat you like an emergency dentist would.
You will likely be given some anti-pain medication and told to see an emergency dentist unless the situation is very serious or potentially fatal. You will also have to deal with the subsequent bill of visiting the emergency room. The best way to find out what to do is to get in touch with our team at Vivid Smiles by giving us a call at (812) 803-2340 so we can advise you on the severity of the situation and let you know if we can treat it.
Getting immediate care for a dental emergency is the best way to ensure that you save your tooth, eliminate pain, and avoid further complications related to your condition. At Vivid Smiles, we offer same-day appointments for all of our patients. If possible, we ask that you call ahead at (812) 803-2340 to let us know you’re coming in so we can prepare accordingly, but we know this isn’t always possible. You can also walk into our office at 2512 Wabash Avenue, Terre Haute, IN 47803, and we’ll treat you as soon as we can.
At Vivid Smiles, we offer extended hours throughout the week for emergency appointments to make sure you can get the care that you need to preserve your smile. We’re also open on Saturdays because we know that dental emergencies don’t just happen during the week. Our team is skilled at providing efficient care when you need it most, so don’t hesitate to call or come in if you are experiencing a dental emergency.
Some dental emergencies are more obvious than others. An oral injury like a loose or knocked-out (avulsed), cracked, or chipped out tooth will always require professional emergency dental care. However, there are also other conditions that count as dental emergencies. If you pull out or damage dental work like a filling or crown, for example, this counts as an emergency. The same is true of a serious toothache, which could indicate an infected tooth. If you are in pain and you do not know how to treat your dental condition on your own, it’s important to seek emergency care as soon as possible.
2512 Wabash Avenue
Terre Haute, IN 47803
Mon-Fri: 8am - 5pm
Sat: 9am - 3pm
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