My wife and I must have some degree of synchronicity with respect to our dental health.
The last time I had a dental emergency (rare doesn’t adequately describe it; it was the first and only time), just a few months ago, it peaked on a Sunday morning. That was before I’d even selected a dentist, though a friend had suggested one nearby and I made a call to his office. Fortunately, I was not in so much pain that I needed to get immediate help, so I just left a message. I got a call back early the next morning and was slotted in to see the dentist a short time later. It was an abscess that required antibiotics and a root canal a few days later.
My wife awoke this morning with pain and swelling in her gums. A call to my dentist’s emergency number resulted in a return call an hour or so later. He prescribed an antibiotic. He suggested she call his office and leave a message, explaining that the dentist had prescribed an antibiotic and asking for a return call to slot her into an emergency appointment time for tomorrow morning.
I hope it’s just an abscess that heals with just the antibiotics and does not require a root canal. But if one is required, I know someone in Hot Springs who can do it so there’s only very slight pain involved.