Dental emergencies rarely arrive at a convenient hour. A crown comes off over dinner, a molar cracks on something hard, a wisdom tooth flares on a Sunday, or a child takes a hit at a Gilbert soccer field. What they share is that waiting makes them worse — infection spreads, a small fracture becomes a lost tooth, and a treatable problem turns into a surgical one.
At Arizona Smiles we hold time open every clinical morning for urgent patients. Call us and we will triage over the phone, tell you exactly what to do in the meantime, and in most cases get you into a chair the same day. Because our 3D imaging, CEREC milling, extractions, and root canal therapy all happen in this office, most emergencies are diagnosed and finished in a single visit rather than passed to another practice across town.
Dr. Sam Bollwinkel has been treating Gilbert families since 1997. If we can help you today, we will say so plainly — and if you need care we do not provide, we will tell you that just as plainly.
Throbbing that wakes you at night, pressure sensitivity, or pain that lingers after hot and cold usually means the nerve is involved. Antibiotics alone rarely resolve it. We image the tooth, confirm whether the pulp is infected, and either treat it or relieve the pressure the same visit.
Keep any fragments in milk or saline and bring them with you. With an intraoral scanner and a CEREC mill on site, a great many fractures are restored with a permanent, colour-matched crown in one appointment — no temporary, no second trip.
The first hour decides the outcome. Hold the tooth by the crown, never the root, rinse it gently if it is dirty, and keep it in milk or inside the cheek. Call from the car — re-implantation is often possible when we see you quickly.
Facial swelling, a bump on the gum, or a persistent bad taste means an active infection with somewhere to spread. This is the one that should never wait for next week. If swelling reaches your eye or throat, go to the emergency room and call us after.
Call first, even if you are already driving. A ninety-second conversation lets us know whether you need imaging, an extraction slot, or simply a re-cement — and it means your chart, room, and materials are ready when you walk through the door instead of after.
While you travel, rinse gently with warm salt water to clear debris and settle inflamed tissue. Use a cold compress against the outside of the cheek in fifteen-minute intervals to keep swelling down. Take the pain reliever you would normally take, but never place aspirin directly on the gum — it burns the tissue rather than numbing it.
Keep anything that came out of your mouth, and keep it wet. A knocked-out tooth or a broken fragment stored in milk gives us dramatically more to work with than one that has dried out on a bathroom counter. Bring your crown if you still have it; a surprising number can be cleaned and re-seated the same afternoon.
We have practised here since 1997. Many patients first came in as children and now bring their own — so when something breaks, we already know your history, your previous work, and what has and has not worked for you before.
Urgent slots are protected in the schedule every clinical morning rather than squeezed in as an afterthought. Call early and you will usually be seen that day, with a realistic arrival time instead of an open-ended wait in a lobby.
3D imaging, CEREC same-day crowns, root canal therapy, and extractions including wisdom teeth are all performed here. No referral across town, no second consult, no third appointment — most emergencies are finished in the visit that started them.
People arrive at emergency visits anxious and in pain. We numb thoroughly, explain each step before it happens, and have on-call anesthesiologists available for patients who want deeper sedation for extractions or longer procedures.
Gilbert, AZ
Anything involving uncontrolled pain, bleeding that will not stop, facial swelling, or a tooth that has been knocked out, broken, or loosened. Lost crowns and fillings count too — an exposed tooth can fracture within days. If you are unsure, call and describe it; we will tell you honestly whether it needs today or can wait for a routine slot.
In most cases, yes. We reserve urgent time on Monday through Thursday and prioritise pain, swelling, and trauma. Calling early in the morning gives you the best chance of a same-day chair. If the schedule is genuinely full, we will tell you immediately rather than leaving you waiting.
Not at all. We treat emergencies for new patients regularly, including visitors and people whose regular dentist is closed. Bring a photo ID and your insurance card if you have one, and we will handle the paperwork while you are being seen rather than before.
Often, if we see it fast. Handle it by the crown, not the root, keep it moist in milk or saliva, and get here within the hour if you can. Adult teeth re-implanted quickly can reattach; baby teeth are generally not replaced, but the site still needs to be assessed so the permanent tooth is not affected.
Usually. We scan the prepared tooth digitally, design the restoration chairside, and mill it here in the office. That means a permanent crown fitted and bonded the same appointment, with no impression trays, no temporary crown to lose, and no second trip two weeks later.
Leave a message on our line and follow the interim advice on this page — salt water rinses, cold compress, keep any fragments wet. We will get you in first thing when the office reopens. If you have significant facial swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or trauma beyond the teeth, go to an emergency room straight away.
We work with most major PPO plans and will verify your benefits before treatment where time allows. You will be told what the visit costs and what your portion is likely to be before anything begins — nobody should be discovering the price of urgent care afterwards.
Yes, in-house and without a referral. For patients who want extra comfort we have on-call anesthesiologists available. Keeping it here means one less office to coordinate with at exactly the moment you have the least patience for logistics.
About the Author
Dr. Sam Bollwinkel has been practising cosmetic and family dentistry in Gilbert, Arizona since 1997. With 28 years of experience, he handles urgent care, restorative work, and complex extractions in-house, and is known for a conservative, patient-first approach and a commitment to natural-looking results.
Learn more about Dr. Bollwinkel →
