These are the questions people ask when they call (323) 433-6458 with a tooth that hurts, answered the way our front desk answers them. If yours isn't here, call; a real person picks up any hour, and during office hours you'll get a same-day time at our Reseda office.
The $99 covers the emergency exam and diagnostic X-rays for patients paying without insurance. Treatment is priced separately and quoted to you in writing before any work starts.
Same-day appointments · $99 exam + X-rays · Phones answered 24/7 · Se habla español
Getting seen
Can I be seen today?
Yes, if you call during office hours: Monday and Wednesday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Tuesday and Thursday 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Same-day emergency care is the point of this office. Call before you drive; we hold times by phone and don't take walk-ins.
Why don't you take walk-ins?
Because a held time is what makes the visit fast. When you call, the front desk gets your insurance sorted, tells the dentist what's coming and sets up the room. Walk in without calling and the honest answer is "wait for a gap," which may not come. The same-day dentist page explains it further.
Are you open on Saturday?
Most Saturdays, no. One Saturday a month the office opens 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM by appointment only; ask the front desk which one is next. On every other Saturday and every Sunday the phone is still answered by a real person, and the first Monday opening is held for you.
Are you open on Sunday?
No. The phone is answered on Sunday, though, and calling then gets you ahead of the Monday morning rush. If you have swelling that affects breathing or swallowing, go to an emergency room first; the weekend and after-hours page lists the warning signs.
Are you open late?
Tuesday and Thursday, until 7:00 PM. Monday and Wednesday we close at 6:00 PM, Friday at 5:00 PM. A call after closing gets the first slot the next morning.
Is there a dentist open all night in Reseda?
Not that we know of, and we're not one either. What runs 24 hours is our phone. Call at any hour and a person answers, takes your details and holds you the first opening. The gap between the call and the chair is usually one night.
Who answers the phone at night?
An answering service. They take your name, number and symptoms and hold the first opening. They don't give medical advice. During office hours our own front desk answers.
Cost and insurance
How much does an emergency visit cost?
The exam and X-rays are $99 for patients paying without insurance; with a PPO plan they're billed to the plan. Treatment is priced separately and quoted in writing after the dentist has seen the X-ray, and nothing starts until you approve it. The cost and insurance page walks through the whole process.
Why won't you tell me what a root canal or extraction costs on the phone?
Because the price depends on which tooth and how damaged it is, and nobody can know that without an X-ray. What we can promise is that the number will be in writing before any work starts, along with the alternatives.
What insurance do you take?
All PPO dental plans. Bring the card or have the plan name ready when you call. Medi-Cal (Denti-Cal) and HMO plans are not accepted; if that's your coverage, you're welcome to be seen as a self-pay patient, and we'd rather you know before driving over.
I don't have insurance. What happens?
The same visit: $99 for the exam and X-rays, a written price for treatment, your decision. Cherry, CareCredit and Sunbit financing and in-house payment plans are available if the treatment is more than you want to pay at once.
Is the $99 the only price on this site?
Yes, on purpose. It's the one part of the visit that's the same for everyone. Everything else is quoted in writing to you, for your tooth.
What counts as an emergency
What's a dental emergency and what can wait?
Call the same day for a toothache that's keeping you up, swelling, a broken or knocked-out tooth, a lost crown or filling, or bleeding that won't stop. A tiny chip that doesn't hurt or a mild sensitivity to cold can usually wait a few days, but call anyway and the front desk will help you sort it.
My tooth was hurting and then stopped. Am I in the clear?
Probably not. When a nerve dies the pain often fades before the infection spreads. Get it looked at. The toothache page explains why the quiet stretch is the easy time to treat it.
I have swelling in my face. Dentist or ER?
Emergency room first if the swelling makes it hard to breathe or swallow, is closing your eye, or comes with a high fever. Otherwise, call us; facial swelling from a tooth is usually an abscess, and it's treated the same day.
Can the ER pull a tooth?
Generally, no. Hospitals treat spreading infection and injuries beyond the teeth and can prescribe antibiotics and pain relief, but they don't usually have a dentist on hand to treat the tooth itself. Our post on the ER and dental pain covers when each is the right stop.
A tooth got knocked out. What do I do right now?
Hold it by the crown, not the root, rinse it briefly in milk if it's dirty, put it back in the socket if you can or keep it in milk, and call while someone else drives. The first hour matters. Step by step on the knocked-out tooth page.
Do you see children's emergencies?
Yes. Call the same number. Toothaches, chipped teeth and knocked baby or adult teeth are all seen the same day, with a parent or guardian present.
At the visit
What happens when I get there?
A short check-in, then the exam and X-rays. Our dentist shows you the image, explains what's wrong and hands you a written price. If you approve, treatment usually starts in the same chair. If the problem needs a second visit, you leave out of pain with a plan.
Will you treat me the same day, or just look?
Treat, in most cases. Extractions, root canals, abscess drainage, fillings, bonding and crown recementing all happen here. Some things take a second visit by nature, like a permanent crown being made, and you'll know that before you commit.
Do you do extractions and root canals in this office?
Yes, both, including surgical extractions and wisdom teeth. You aren't sent to another building.
Do you speak Spanish?
Yes. Our staff speak Spanish during office hours, and the Spanish side of the site starts at /es/. The call, the paperwork and the aftercare instructions can all be in Spanish.
Where are you, and is there parking?
17750 Saticoy St, Reseda, CA 91335, on Saticoy Street between White Oak Avenue and Balcom Avenue, with parking on site. Directions from the 101, the 405 and the 118 are on the contact page.
What should I bring?
A photo ID, your insurance card if you have one, a list of medications you take, and any broken piece of tooth, crown or denture in a bag. If you're bringing a knocked-out tooth, it travels in milk.