Call 911 or go to an ER — not here

Some dental problems are medical emergencies. These are them.

  • Trouble breathing or swallowing
  • Swelling spreading toward your eye or down your neck
  • Swelling under the tongue or in the floor of the mouth
  • Fever along with facial swelling
  • Bleeding that will not stop with steady pressure
  • Jaw injury, head injury, or any loss of consciousness

Do not wait for a callback and do not wait for an appointment. An infection that is spreading toward the airway is treated in hours, not days. Get to an emergency room and call us afterward — we will pick it up from there.

Three ways in

Pick the one that matches your situation

The phone always works. The other two are there when you'd rather not sit on hold.

It hurts now

Call us

Anything time-sensitive — pain, swelling, a broken tooth, a knocked-out tooth. A real person, and the fastest way into a same-day slot.

(480) 756-0194

It can wait a few days

Book online

Not urgent, but it needs looking at. Pick a time that works without a phone call.

Book on Weave →

I want to explain it properly first

Build a summary and send it

Answer questions about your symptoms and download a PDF. Bring it to your visit, or email it to us ahead of time along with anything else you'd like us to know.

Start the questions ↓

Before you arrive · Non-cosmetic concerns

Answer a few questions, download a PDF

Emergency and general dental problems — pain, breaks, infections, wisdom teeth, anything that isn't cosmetic. Nothing gets submitted anywhere. You answer, you get a PDF, and it's yours to bring in, text us, or ignore.

The questionnaire tool is being finished. If you're in pain now, call (480) 756-0194 instead of waiting on it.

The questions come from miniDentist.ai*. This is a summary of what you're experiencing, not a diagnosis, and it doesn't replace being examined. It exists so we're not starting from scratch when you sit down. If your symptoms match anything in the red block above, stop and get emergency care instead.

When you have your PDF

Bring it, or send it to us

Email the PDF — plus photos, X-rays from another office, a list of your medications, or anything else you think helps — to:

miniDentist@LiveToSmile.com


Not for emergencies. Email is checked during business hours. If something hurts right now, call (480) 756-0194 instead — don't wait on a reply.

Ordinary email isn't encrypted, so send only what you're comfortable sending that way.

* Dr. Carr has a financial interest in miniDentist.ai.

Right now

What to do while you're on your way

Short, practical steps for the most common emergencies. None of these replace being seen — they buy you time.

Time-critical — 30 to 60 minutes

A permanent tooth got knocked out

    This is the one where minutes matter. The sooner it goes back in, the better the odds it survives.

    1. Pick it up by the crown — the chewing surface. Never touch the root.

    2. Don't scrub it and don't use soap. If it's dirty, rinse briefly with milk or saline.

    3. If you can, put it back in the socket the right way round and bite gently on gauze to hold it.

    4. If you can't, keep it in milk or in your own saliva. Not water.

    5. Call us on the way.

    Call today

    Severe or throbbing tooth pain

      Usually a deep cavity, a cracked tooth, or an infection at the root. Over-the-counter pain relief and a cold compress on the outside of the cheek can take the edge off while you wait. Don't hold aspirin against the gum — it burns the tissue and doesn't help the tooth.

      Call today

      Broken, cracked, or chipped tooth

        Rinse with warm water and save any pieces you can find. A cold compress helps with swelling. If a sharp edge is cutting your tongue or cheek, dental wax or a piece of sugarless gum over the edge is a reasonable stopgap until you're seen.

        Call today

        Crown or filling came out

          Keep the crown if you have it — it can often be re-cemented. Temporary dental cement from a pharmacy can protect the tooth for a day or two. Avoid chewing on that side. Don't use superglue.

          Call today — sooner if it's growing

          Swelling or an abscess

            A swelling that stays put and isn't accompanied by fever can usually wait for a same-day appointment. A swelling that's visibly spreading, closing your eye, moving down your neck, or making it hard to swallow is the emergency-room list above — go there.

            Call today

            Bleeding after an extraction

              Fold clean gauze, place it over the site, and bite firmly for a solid 30 minutes without checking it — lifting it to look is what usually restarts it. A moistened black tea bag works too; the tannins help it clot. If it's still going after an hour of steady pressure, call.

              Same day

              What we can usually do at the visit

              Not every case qualifies, and we'll tell you at the chair which one you're in. But these are the things that often don't need a second appointment.

              Extractions and root canals

              The treatment that ends the pain can frequently happen the same visit you're seen, instead of being scheduled out weeks while you wait on antibiotics.

              Same-day crowns

              Available as a courtesy for qualifying cases, so a broken-down tooth doesn't automatically mean two visits and a temporary in between.

              Implants at extraction

              When the bone and the site allow it, the implant can go in at the same appointment the tooth comes out — one surgery instead of two.

              Questions

              The ones people ask at 11pm

              Do I need an appointment, or can I just show up?

              Call first. We hold same-day slots, but showing up unannounced means waiting behind a schedule that's already full. Two minutes on the phone usually gets you seen faster than driving over.

              What if it's after hours or the weekend?

              Call the number and follow the instructions on the message. If your symptoms match the emergency-room list at the top of this page, don't wait for a callback — go.

              I'm not a patient here. Will you still see me?

              Yes. Emergencies don't require an existing chart with us.

              What will it cost?

              You'll get the number before we start, not after. Emergency exams and X-rays are usually covered in part by dental insurance — unlike cosmetic work, which typically isn't. We'll check your plan while you're here.

              Can antibiotics just fix it?

              Usually not on their own. Antibiotics can knock down an infection temporarily, but if the source is a dying nerve or a cracked tooth, the problem comes back until the tooth itself is treated. We'd rather tell you that up front than hand you a prescription and see you again in three weeks.

              Where exactly are you?

              2072 E Southern Ave A103, Tempe, AZ 85282. Two other dental offices share this building — Suites A101 and A102 — so look specifically for A103.

              For general information beyond what's here: MouthHealthy.org (American Dental Association), and the Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners, where you can verify any dentist's license.

              Don't wait it out

              Call and we'll tell you if it's a today problem.

              If it can wait until Tuesday, we'll say so. If it can't, we'll get you in.