Manhattan moves fast, and so do its dental emergencies. A cyclist clipped in a bike lane, a slip on subway stairs, a stray elbow in a pickup game, a toddler meeting a coffee table: traumatic dental injuries arrive without warning, and the first hours afterward often decide whether a tooth is saved or lost. Our Flatiron District office treats dental trauma for patients of all ages and holds time for genuine emergencies.

Not all trauma looks dramatic. A tooth can absorb a blow, appear completely normal, and still have suffered a root fracture, a severed blood supply, or a crack running silently into the pulp. Other injuries are unmistakable: fractures that expose pink tissue at the break, teeth driven out of position, or the sickening sight of a tooth knocked out entirely. Each category has its own clock and its own correct response, which is why an expert evaluation matters even when the damage seems minor.

For a knocked out permanent tooth, memorize this now, before you ever need it: handle the tooth only by the crown, never scrub the root, reinsert it into the socket if you can, and otherwise transport it in cold milk. Then get to us within the hour. A tooth reimplanted within roughly 30 minutes has a strong chance of survival; every additional hour outside the mouth costs it dearly.

What can you expect during trauma care at our Manhattan office?

At 37 West 17th Street, emergency trauma visits start with a complete picture: imaging to reveal root and bone damage, and vitality testing to assess the health of the pulp. From there, treatment is matched to the injury. Exposed pulp may call for immediate root canal therapy or, in young patients, a vital pulp procedure that preserves continued root development. Displaced teeth are repositioned and stabilized with a flexible splint. Avulsed teeth are reimplanted, splinted, and scheduled for the follow up care they will need.

Trauma care does not end when the emergency does. Injured teeth are notorious for failing quietly long after they seem healed, developing pulp death, infection, or resorption months later. Every trauma patient at our practice leaves with a monitoring schedule, and we coordinate the results with your general dentist so nothing gets missed between offices.

If an injury has just happened, call our Manhattan office immediately and we will walk you through the first critical steps while you make your way to us from anywhere in the city.