A chipped or broken tooth needs three things in the first few minutes: rinse with warm water, save any fragment in milk, and call Diamondback Dentistry in North Phoenix at (602) 866-8183. What you do in the first 24 hours affects whether the tooth needs a filling, a crown, or a root canal. Here is the order to work through.
What do I do in the next 15 minutes?
Rinse your mouth with warm water. If it is bleeding, press clean gauze on the spot for 10 minutes. Put a cold compress on the outside of your cheek. Save any broken piece in milk. Then call Diamondback Dentistry in North Phoenix at (602) 866-8183.
How Bad Is It? Triage by What Broke
Not every broken tooth is the same problem. The right answer depends on what gave way. If you are unsure whether yours counts, our guide to what counts as a dental emergency covers the wider list.
Chips, Cracks, and a Broken Cusp
Start here. A small chip in the enamel is the least urgent version. Bonding or a tooth-colored filling usually repairs it in one visit. Book within a week so the rough edge does not cut your tongue or catch and break further.
A broken cusp, the pointed part of a back tooth, changes how you bite. It often needs an inlay, an onlay, or a dental crown.
A cracked tooth is the one people underestimate. The signal is sharp pain when you release biting pressure, not when you bite down. Per the American Association of Endodontists, a crack reaching the root can require root canal treatment and a full-coverage crown, and a split tooth may need removal. Cracks do not heal.
Exposed Nerve or a Knocked-Out Tooth
A pink or red center in the break means the nerve is exposed. That is where severe throbbing pain comes from. Call us the same day.
A tooth knocked completely out is the most time-sensitive injury here. Pick it up by the crown, never the root. If it is dirty, rinse it briefly in milk or saline rather than tap water, and do not scrub it. Keep it moist in milk or inside your cheek. Per the American Association of Endodontists, the outlook depends on how long it was out and what it was stored in. Individual results vary.
What Happens at Your Visit
We start with an exam and X-rays. The visible part of a broken tooth rarely tells the whole story. Once we know how deep the damage goes, you get a written estimate before treatment begins.
Repair usually means one of five things: bonding for a small chip, a tooth-colored filling, an inlay or onlay for a larger piece of a back tooth, a crown when too much structure is gone, or root canal treatment when the nerve is involved. If the tooth is split below the gum line, emergency tooth extraction may be the only option. Local anesthesia numbs the area so the repair is comfortable.
More on broken tooth repair in North Phoenix and our emergency dental services.
If You Call Before Noon
Call before noon and we will do our best to see you the same day. We cannot promise it, because it depends on what is already on the schedule. Call (602) 866-8183 and tell the front desk what happened.
If It Happens on a Friday or Sunday
We are closed Friday and Sunday. We are open Saturday from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM, so a Friday-night break can often be seen Saturday morning if you call when we open. Overnight, keep the area clean, use a cold compress, cover a sharp edge with dental wax from a pharmacy, and stay on soft foods.
When to Go to an ER Instead of a Dentist
Some of these injuries are medical emergencies, not dental ones. Go to the nearest hospital emergency department, or call 911, if you have trouble breathing or swallowing, facial swelling spreading toward your eye or down your neck, bleeding that has not stopped after 15 minutes of steady pressure, a jaw that will not open or close normally, or confusion or loss of consciousness after the impact.
Call 911 for trouble breathing. A broken tooth from a fall or a blow to the head is a head injury first and a dental problem second. Once you are cleared medically, call us and we will take the tooth from there.
Sources and References
- American Association of Endodontists. Traumatic Dental Injuries
- American Dental Association. Dental Emergencies
- Journal of the American Dental Association. Do You Have a Cracked Tooth?
- Journal of the American Dental Association. Dental Emergency Procedures
Call Us Before You Wait It Out
Diamondback Dentistry is at 1512 W Bell Rd, Suite C-6, Phoenix, AZ 85023. Call (602) 866-8183 and tell us what happened. We accept most major PPO plans, including Delta Dental, Humana, Cigna, Aetna, and Blue Cross Blue Shield, and we verify your benefits before treatment. DeltaCare USA and direct AHCCCS are not accepted, and AHCCCS is accepted only through the UnitedHealthcare APIPA contractor. Call to verify your coverage.
Service Area
Diamondback Dentistry sees emergency and broken tooth patients from across the North Valley, along the Bell Road and I-17 corridor.
Neighborhoods served
- North Phoenix
- Deer Valley
- Peoria
- Moon Valley
- Glendale
Diamondback Dentistry · 1512 W Bell Rd, Suite C-6, Phoenix, AZ 85023 · (602) 866-8183
