What Counts as a Dental Emergency in Forest Hills (and What to Do First)

An emergency dentist in Forest Hills is a dentist who reserves same-day appointment time for urgent problems like severe toothache, facial swelling, a knocked-out tooth, or a broken tooth. Forest Hills Dental holds openings each day for these cases and treats both existing and new patients. Most dental emergencies are treated faster and for less money at a dental office than in a hospital emergency room.

That last part surprises people. So does this: you do not have to already be our patient to call us when something goes wrong.

Below is how to tell whether what you are feeling needs attention today, what to do in the first few minutes, and what actually happens once you are in the chair.

Is this a real emergency, or can it wait until Monday?

If the pain is stopping you from sleeping, eating, or getting through your workday, treat it as an emergency and call today. Everything else comes down to four questions we ask over the phone:

• Can I get through my day at this level of discomfort?
• Is there swelling?
• Is this getting in the way of eating or drinking?
• Will something be permanently damaged if this waits?

Two yeses and you should be seen. Here is the same judgment call in table form.

Swelling is the one people underestimate. Pain tells you something hurts. Swelling tells you an infection has moved out of the tooth and into the tissue around it, and that it is looking for somewhere else to go. A tooth that stopped hurting after days of aching is not always good news either, because a nerve that has died stops sending signals while the infection underneath keeps going.

If you are genuinely unsure, call. We would rather tell you it can wait than have you sit on something for a week. You can read more about how the team triages urgent cases before you pick up the phone.

My tooth just got knocked out. What do I do in the next 30 minutes?

Pick the tooth up by the crown, keep it moist, and get to a dentist within 30 minutes. That window matters more than anything else you do.

Here is the order, based on guidance from the American Association of Endodontists:

1. Pick it up by the crown only, meaning the white chewing surface. The root surface is covered in living cells that let the tooth reattach, and handling them is what kills them.
2. If it is dirty, rinse it briefly with milk or saline. A few seconds is enough.
3. Try to put it back in the socket, root first, and bite gently on a clean cloth or gauze to hold it there. A tooth back in its socket is in the best storage medium there is.
4. If you can’t reinsert it, keep it wet. Milk works. So does tucking it inside your cheek if you are certain you won’t swallow it.
5. Get to a dentist. Bring the tooth.

What not to do, because these are the mistakes that cost people the tooth:

• Do not scrub it, use soap, or dry it off
• Do not wrap it in a tissue or a paper towel
• Do not store it in tap water, which damages the root surface cells the AAE warns about specifically
• Do not decide it is too late to bother

On that last point: 30 minutes is the target, not the deadline. The AAE notes a tooth can still be saved after an hour or more if it has been kept moist and handled properly. If two hours have passed and you still have the tooth, bring it in anyway and let us look.

One exception. A knocked-out baby tooth should not be put back in. Reinserting it can damage the permanent tooth developing underneath. Call us, bring your child in, but leave the tooth out.

Should I go to the ER or call a dentist?

Call a dentist first. The hospital emergency room is the right call for three specific situations: bleeding you cannot get under control, a jaw you think might be broken, and swelling severe enough to affect your breathing or swallowing. Those are medical emergencies and the ER is genuinely equipped for them.

For everything else, an emergency room is a tow truck when what you need is a mechanic. It can get you off the side of the road. It cannot fix the engine.

Most hospitals have no dentist on staff and no equipment for dental work. What you will typically get is an X-ray, an antibiotic, something for the pain, and a referral to a dental office. The tooth that caused the problem is still there when you walk out, and so is the infection.

The cost difference is stark. According to the American Dental Association’s Action for Dental Health data, an emergency department visit for dental care runs roughly three times what the same problem costs at a dental office, averaging $749 for a patient without insurance. And the ADA’s own research on emergency department use found that the majority of dental-related ER visits lack the kind of urgency that requires a hospital at all, and could have been handled in a dental chair.

So you pay three times as much for a temporary fix, and then you need the dentist anyway.

Not sure whether what you’re feeling counts as urgent?

Call the office and describe it. If it’s an emergency, we’ll find you a slot today. If it isn’t, we’ll tell you that and book you normally.

Check if you need to be seen today

You don’t need to be an existing patient.

How fast can I actually be seen in Forest Hills?

We hold appointment time open every day specifically for emergencies. That is a scheduling decision the practice made on purpose, because a schedule packed wall to wall means the person with an abscess gets told to come back Thursday.

A few honest specifics:

• New patients are welcome for emergencies. Some practices only handle urgent cases for people already on their books. We don’t work that way.
• Office hours are [HOURS TO BE CONFIRMED BY PRACTICE – SEE EDITOR NOTE]. We are a scheduled practice rather than a 24-hour walk-in clinic, and it is better you know that now than at 11pm.
• After hours, call the main line and follow the message prompts. Someone from the team will get back to you. In an extreme case, Dr. Mark may be able to meet you at the office outside normal hours. If that isn’t possible, we will get you in as early as we can the next working day.

You can find office hours and location on our contact page. We are at 102-10 66th Road, Suite 1D, a short walk from the Queens Boulevard corridor.

What actually happens when I walk in with a broken tooth?

The first ten minutes are diagnosis, and you see everything we see. Here is the actual sequence.

Say it’s a Friday afternoon and you bit down on an olive pit at lunch. Something cracked, and now there is a sharp edge your tongue keeps finding and a jolt every time you drink something cold.

We take a digital X-ray first. The image comes up on the screen in the room within seconds, and modern digital sensors use as much as 90% less radiation than the film X-rays most of us grew up with. Then we usually bring in the intraoral camera, which puts a magnified picture of the actual tooth on the monitor. You are not taking our word for it. You are looking at the crack.

Numbing is more targeted than you expect. For a lot of single-tooth work we use The Wand, a pen-sized device that anesthetizes the specific tooth being treated. You leave without half your face numb for the rest of the afternoon.

From there, the repair depends on how deep the damage goes:

• A small chip or crack often needs nothing more than bonding, done in one sitting.
• A tooth that has lost real structure usually needs a crown. Ours are milled in the office, so a ceramic crown milled while you wait takes about an hour instead of two appointments and two weeks in a temporary.
• A crack that reaches the nerve means clearing out an infected nerve before the tooth can be rebuilt. If there is a severe abscess, Dr. Mark may prescribe an antibiotic first, partly because anesthetic works better once the infection has calmed down.
• A tooth that has split below the gum line may be beyond saving. Removing a tooth that can’t be rebuilt is the last option we reach for, never the first.

Dr. Mark’s approach is to lay out the options and let you help decide. He calls it co-diagnosing, and in an emergency it matters, because “save it” and “remove it” have very different costs and very different futures.

If you want the full picture of the imaging and anesthesia tools used chairside, it’s all on the technology page.

What’s this going to cost me if I don’t have insurance?

No honest dentist can quote you a number over the phone without seeing the tooth, because a cracked molar might need a $300 filling or a root canal and a crown. What we can promise is that you will know the number before anything starts.

Our financial coordinators check your coverage before treatment begins and walk you through what your plan pays, what it doesn’t, and what you owe. We do not start work and hand you a surprise afterward.

If you have no insurance, CareCredit is available and can usually be applied for in the office. In most cases a balance paid off within a set window (typically 6 to 12 months) carries 0% interest. Full details are on our financing and insurance verification page.

One thing worth saying plainly: waiting is the expensive option. A small cavity treated now is a filling. The same cavity in six months is an abscess, a root canal, and a crown. Emergencies are almost always more costly than the problem that caused them.

What if it’s my kid?

Call us the same day, and don’t let the absence of pain talk you out of it. Children’s teeth have thinner enamel, and damage that looks cosmetic can reach the nerve faster than it would in an adult.

Two things parents most often get wrong:

• A chipped tooth with no complaints still needs looking at. Kids are also unreliable narrators about pain, especially if they think a dentist visit is the consequence of admitting it.
• A knocked-out baby tooth stays out. Bring your child in, but don’t reinsert it.

Dr. Mark has treated children here since the practice opened in 1995, and low-radiation digital X-rays mean the diagnostic side is straightforward even with young patients. You can read more about care for younger patients on our pediatric page.

If your child plays a contact sport, a custom mouthguard is the single most effective thing you can do to keep them out of our emergency slots in the first place.

Why Forest Hills Dental for an emergency?

Because an emergency usually needs more than one kind of dentistry, and it helps when one person can do all of it.

Dr. Gregory Mark has been practicing since 1988. He graduated with honors from NYU College of Dentistry in 1995 and has since become a mentor for the Kois Center, which trains dentists in comprehensive care. That word matters here. A cracked molar on a Friday might need diagnosis, a root canal, and a same-day crown, and having those handled in one office by one dentist is the difference between resolving it today and getting referred out twice.

The practice has been in Forest Hills since 1995, treating families that now span three generations. Some of the people who came in as kids bring their own children now.

More about Dr. Mark’s training and background if you want it.

TL;DR

• Call today if you have swelling, pain that stops you sleeping or eating, a loose or knocked-out tooth, or bleeding that won’t stop.
• A knocked-out permanent tooth needs a dentist within 30 minutes. Handle it by the crown, keep it in milk or your cheek, never tap water. Baby teeth stay out.
• Go to the ER only for uncontrolled bleeding, a possible broken jaw, or swelling affecting your breathing or swallowing. Otherwise the ER costs around three times as much and refers you to a dentist anyway.
• Forest Hills Dental holds same-day slots open for emergencies and sees patients who aren’t already registered with us.
• Broken teeth are often fixed in one visit, with a ceramic crown milled in the office in about an hour.
• You’ll know the cost before treatment starts. CareCredit is available if you’re uninsured.

If you’re in pain right now, the fastest thing you can do is call.

We hold time open each day for urgent cases, and we’ll tell you honestly whether you need to come in today.

Get seen for a dental emergency

(718) 275-9792

New and existing patients. Adults and children.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Forest Hills Dental see patients who aren’t already registered?

Yes. Forest Hills Dental treats dental emergencies for new patients as well as existing ones, and for both adults and children. You do not need a prior appointment history with the practice to be seen for an urgent problem.

Can a knocked-out tooth still be saved after an hour?

Often, yes. The American Association of Endodontists recommends seeing a dentist within 30 minutes of the injury, but notes that a tooth can still be saved after an hour or more if it has been kept moist and handled only by the crown. Store it in milk or inside the cheek and bring it with you.

Is a chipped tooth with no pain an emergency?

Usually not an emergency, but it should still be examined within a few days. A chip with no pain can hide a crack that reaches the nerve, and a sharp edge can cut the tongue or cheek. Pain is a poor indicator of how deep the damage goes, particularly in children.

What should I do about a dental emergency after hours?

Call the practice at (718) 275-9792 and follow the message prompts. A member of the team will get back to you. In extreme cases Dr. Mark may be able to meet you at the office outside normal hours. If that is not possible, you will be scheduled for the earliest available appointment.

Will the emergency room fix my toothache?

Generally no. Most hospital emergency departments have no dentist on staff and cannot perform dental treatment. They typically provide pain relief, an antibiotic, and a referral to a dental office. The ADA reports that emergency department visits for dental care average $749 for uninsured patients, roughly three times the cost of treating the same problem at a dental practice.