Need an Emergency Dentist on New Year’s Day

“Every year again…” — that is how one of the most beloved holiday songs begins, instantly putting many people into a festive mood.

On December 31, 2017, I was among the many people celebrating the arrival of the New Year in downtown Vienna.

The now legendary Vienna New Year’s Trail (Silvesterpfad) had once again attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors. Live concerts, mulled wine, sparkling drinks, music, and an incredible atmosphere turned the city center into one big celebration.

In short: the perfect setting for an unforgettable New Year’s Eve.

Or at least, that is what I thought.

An unexpected accident with painful consequences

In the middle of the celebration, something unexpected happened: my hat suddenly fell off.

Without thinking, I bent down to quickly pick it up before someone stepped on it.

Just as I was standing back up, an arm holding a champagne bottle suddenly appeared from the right side of my face — seemingly out of nowhere.

Before I had any chance to react, I felt a painful impact.

OUCH!

The bottle hit my cheek with full force, sending a sharp pain through my body.

The young man holding the bottle, who had been happily celebrating just moments earlier, immediately realized what had happened. Together with my friends, he helped me back onto my feet.

“Oh my God! I am SO sorry!”

He repeated the apology over and over again.

Unfortunately, the damage had already been done.

A broken front tooth on New Year’s Day

The impact had broken one of my front teeth.

The pain was intense, and the situation was frightening.

My thoughts instantly shifted from celebrating to one urgent question:

Where can I find an emergency dentist on New Year’s Day?

Instead of enjoying the celebrations, I suddenly found myself desperately searching for urgent dental care.

Finding a dentist during the Holidays is harder than you think

My first step was calling my family dentist.

Closed.

Then, based on recommendations from friends, I contacted several other dental offices.

Also closed.

I even searched Google for dentists open during New Year’s Day.

No luck.

In that moment, I realized something important:

Finding an emergency dentist during public holidays is often much more difficult than expected.

The Emergency Room as a last resort

Eventually, I had no choice but to go to the emergency room.

Fortunately, there was a dentist on duty, but the waiting time lasted several hours.

Honestly, I never imagined how many people suffer dental accidents during New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The emergency dentist treated what remained of my tooth as best as possible.

After the holidays, my family dentist performed a dental reconstruction to restore the damaged tooth.

All’s well that ends well?

Needless to say, my New Year’s celebration was ruined.

But as the saying goes:

“Every cloud has a silver lining.”

And if that also applies to broken teeth, then 2018 had to become a great year.

Happy New Year — Hopefully without a dental emergency

I sincerely hope your New Year’s celebration was much less dramatic than mine.

But one thing became very clear from my experience:

Dental emergencies can happen anytime — even during holidays.

That is why we at DentalAce strive to make it easier for our community to connect with qualified dentists and emergency dental professionals, so patients can receive help quickly when unexpected situations arise.

Have you ever experienced a dental emergency — perhaps even during Christmas or New Year’s?

Feel free to share your story with the DentalAce community. Your experience might help someone else make the right decision in a stressful situation.