Very few dental offices in the Lithia Springs and Douglasville area open on Sunday, and ours isn't one of them. What you can do on a Sunday: call (770) 802-2220, where a real person answers and holds you the first Monday chair at 8:00 AM, manage the pain with the steps below, and go to an ER if you have any of the warning signs listed here.
A Sunday toothache feels like it has no good options. It has a few, and the useful thing is knowing which one fits your situation before you spend the afternoon driving around Douglas County.
Why so few dentists are open on Sunday
Dentistry is a small-practice business, and most offices in west Georgia run four or five weekday schedules. The offices that advertise Sunday hours are usually either large chain clinics or an office with a rotating on-call dentist, and even those often see emergencies by appointment rather than as walk-ins. Searching "dentist open Sunday" will surface some. Call before you drive; a listing that says "open" doesn't always mean a chair is available.
What our office does on Sunday
Our chairs are closed Saturday and Sunday. Our phone is answered by a real person at every hour, including Sunday morning. When you call, the front desk takes your name, number and symptoms, tells you honestly whether what you're describing can wait or needs an ER, and holds you the first Monday opening at 8:00 AM. Monday's earliest appointments go to the people who called over the weekend. The weekend and after-hours page has the full rundown.
Sunday symptoms that mean the ER, not any dentist
- Swelling that makes it hard to breathe or swallow, or that's closing your eye
- A high fever with facial swelling
- Bleeding that 20 minutes of steady pressure hasn't slowed
- A blow to the face with a possible broken jaw, or any loss of consciousness
Wellstar Douglas Hospital in Douglasville and Wellstar Cobb Hospital in Austell are the nearest ERs for most of our area. They'll treat the spreading infection or the injury; our post on what the ER can do for a tooth explains what happens after.
A knocked-out tooth on Sunday is different
An adult tooth that's been knocked out needs replanting within about an hour to have a good chance. On a Sunday that means seeking the soonest available emergency dental care rather than waiting for Monday, and following the storage steps on the knocked-out tooth page on the way. Call us for the follow-up once it's been seen.
Getting through Sunday: what helps
- Pain relief. Ibuprofen or acetaminophen, exactly as the label directs. Ask a pharmacist before combining them.
- Cold, not heat. A cold compress on the cheek for swelling, 15 minutes on and off. Heat can spread an infection.
- Salt water. Warm rinses several times a day, gently.
- Cover sharp edges. Sugarless gum or dental wax over a chipped tooth.
- Protect an exposed tooth. Drugstore dental cement over a lost filling or inside a loose crown. Never household glue.
- Sleep propped up. Lying flat makes a throbbing tooth throb harder.
- Skip the aspirin-on-the-gum trick. It burns the tissue and doesn't reach the nerve.
What can wait until Monday and what can't
Most Sunday dental problems can wait one night with the steps above: a dull or moderate toothache, a chipped tooth that isn't bleeding, a lost filling, a crown in your pocket, a denture that cracked. What can't wait is on the ER list above, plus a knocked-out tooth. Everything in between, a swollen gum that isn't spreading, a bad toothache that ibuprofen is barely holding, is a judgment call, and the front desk will help you make it when you call.
When to call a dentist today
Call (770) 802-2220 as soon as the problem starts, Sunday or not. You'll speak to a person, get a held Monday 8:00 AM time on Lee Road in Lithia Springs, and know whether you can safely wait. The Monday visit starts with the $89 exam and X-rays, then a written price before any treatment. The $89 covers the emergency exam and diagnostic X-rays. Treatment is priced separately and quoted to you in writing before any work starts. Office hours are Monday through Thursday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Friday 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an emergency dentist open on Sunday in Douglasville?
Occasionally, usually a chain clinic or an on-call arrangement, and availability changes. Search, then call before driving. If you can safely wait, calling (770) 802-2220 on Sunday gets you the first Monday chair at our Lithia Springs office, 10 to 12 minutes from Douglasville.
Can I get antibiotics on a Sunday without seeing a dentist?
An urgent care or ER can prescribe them if they find an infection. Antibiotics calm the infection but don't treat the tooth, so a dental visit still follows within a day or two. If you already have a prescription, keep taking it and call us Monday morning, or Sunday to get on the schedule.
Will I pay more for a Monday emergency appointment after a Sunday call?
No. The exam and X-rays are $89 whenever the visit happens, and the treatment price is quoted in writing the same way for every patient. Calling on Sunday costs nothing and gets you seen sooner on Monday.
This article is for general education and is not a substitute for an exam by a licensed dentist.