Need an emergency dentist appointment in Toronto?

Following the Ontario government's order that all non-essential businesses shut down in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, most dental offices in the city have temporarily closed their doors. 

According to the province's list of businesses that are considered to be essential, "health care professionals providing emergency care including dentists" are permitted to keep working — but anyone struggling with a dental issue that isn't an emergency is out of luck.

Fortunately, some dentists in Toronto are moving their services online so you can get the help you need without leaving your house. 

Dr. Jeanie Luong is one such dentist. 

She normally works at the Baywell Dental Centre on Bay Street, but they were notified by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario to suspend all non-essential and elective dental services until further notice due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

In an effort to help those who are having dental issues but aren't keen on heading to the hospital for a toothache, Dr. Luong is now providing free online dental consults. 

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A post shared by Baywell Dental Centre (@baywelldental) on Mar 21, 2020 at 11:01am PDT

"At this point, most patients don’t have anywhere to go but the hospital emergency rooms, which they really need to stay away from," Dr. Luong said. 

"I’m offering free dental consults to patients to help triage true dental emergencies to help direct patients. Often times patients just need to know that something can wait and it will help them cope better."

Anyone in need of a dental consult can reach out to her by email at contact@baywelldental.com to inquire, and Dr. Luong will be seeing eligible patients on Zoom. 

"Since I can’t be at the office, this is what I can do to contribute," Dr. Luong wrote on Instagram. 

"The idea is to keep people out of the of hospital emergency room if possible!"

And if an online consult simply isn't enough, there are several dental offices in Toronto that are continuing to provide emergency services to those in need.