Emergency

Yes. Divine Smiles holds same day appointments for urgent problems and takes walk-ins at 1574 Chapel St in downtown New Haven. If a tooth is broken, throbbing, or bleeding, phone ahead at (203) 865-1480 so the team can have a room and the right dentist ready.

Pain that keeps you awake or does not respond to over the counter medicine, facial or gum swelling, a knocked out or badly broken tooth, bleeding that will not stop, and a lost crown or filling that leaves a tooth exposed. Swelling that spreads toward the eye or throat needs care immediately.

A hospital can manage severe pain, uncontrolled bleeding, or an infection that is spreading, and you should go straight there if breathing or swallowing is affected. For the tooth itself, most emergency rooms have neither a dentist nor dental instruments, so the actual repair still needs a dental office.

It depends entirely on what is causing the problem, since an exam and a filling sit at one end and a root canal with a crown at the other. HUSKY Health, Medicaid, and most major PPO plans are taken here, CareCredit is available, and you get the numbers in writing before treatment.

Divine Smiles sees patients Sunday from 9am to 4pm, so a weekend problem does not have to wait until Monday. Tuesday hours run to 7pm for people who cannot leave work, and Friday runs to 2pm. We are closed Saturday. Call (203) 865-1480 to be added to the schedule.

Pick the tooth up by the crown, never the root. Rinse it gently with water if it is dirty, then try to seat it back in the socket. If that is not possible, keep it in milk or your own saliva and get to a dentist within the hour.