Emergency dentist in Morgan Hill

What counts as a dental emergency?

Severe or persistent tooth pain, a knocked out tooth, a broken or cracked tooth, swelling in the gum or face, bleeding that will not stop, or a lost crown or filling that has left a tooth exposed. If you are unsure, call 408-779-2129 and describe it. We would rather you called.

Some things need to be seen the same day and some can safely wait until the next appointment. A phone call sorts that out in a couple of minutes, and it costs nothing.

What should I do right now?

Call 408-779-2129 first, then follow the guidance below for your situation while you wait to be seen.

What happened	What to do now
Knocked out permanent tooth	Hold it by the crown, not the root. Do not scrub it. Keep it moist in milk or saliva and get seen as fast as possible. The first hour matters most.
Broken or cracked tooth	Rinse gently with warm water. Keep any pieces. Use a cold compress outside the cheek for swelling. Avoid chewing on that side.
Severe toothache	Rinse with warm water and clean gently around the tooth. Take over the counter pain relief as directed on the packet. Do not hold painkillers against the gum.
Lost crown or filling	Keep the crown if you have it. Avoid chewing on that side. The exposed tooth is vulnerable, so do not leave it for weeks.
Swelling in the gum or face	Call the same day. Swelling usually means infection, and infections do not resolve on their own.
Bleeding after an extraction	Bite firmly on clean gauze for 20 minutes without checking it. If it continues heavily, call us.

When should I go to an emergency room instead?

Go to an emergency room rather than waiting for a dental appointment if you have facial swelling with difficulty breathing or swallowing, uncontrolled bleeding, a suspected broken jaw, or an injury involving more than your teeth.

That first one matters. Facial swelling that starts to affect breathing or swallowing is a medical emergency, not a dental one, and it needs a hospital immediately. Everything else on this page can be handled by a dentist.

Can you see me today?

Call 408-779-2129 and say you are in pain. We do everything we can to fit emergency patients in quickly, and having two dentists on staff means we can often find room when a single-doctor practice cannot.

Call rather than using the appointment form. The form is checked during office hours and a phone call always gets a faster answer when something is urgent.

Why does a toothache sometimes stop hurting?

Pain that disappears on its own is not always good news. When the nerve inside a tooth dies, the pain can stop while the infection continues spreading into the bone. Get it checked even if it has settled.

This is one of the more common reasons a manageable problem becomes an urgent one. If a tooth hurt badly for days and then went quiet, that tooth still needs looking at.