Referring Doctors · Washington, DC
Urgent referrals: what to send now, and how.
Some periodontal and implant problems get measurably worse while a routine referral works through the queue. Here is what belongs on the phone today, what should simply be referred sooner, and how the urgent path runs.
Call today
Pick up the phone for these.
- Acute periodontal abscess or rapidly progressing infection
- Implant pain, mobility, or visible bone loss on radiographs
- Trauma resulting in tooth or implant displacement
- Failed extraction site with concern for bony involvement
- Suspected oral lesion requiring specialist evaluation or biopsy
Refer sooner than later
Patterns that reward early referral.
- Rapidly progressing periodontal destruction between recalls
- Severe recession or newly exposed root surfaces
- Inadequate ridge volume discovered during implant-restorative planning
- Questionable stability at a planned or recently placed implant site
- Peri-implant inflammation or suspected peri-implantitis
- Failing dentition — patients asking about full-mouth replacement
- Esthetic-zone soft tissue changes threatening a restorative plan
These are not same-day emergencies — they are cases where bone and tissue options narrow with time. Send them through the standard checklist →
Referring-office questions
- How do I flag a case as urgent?
- Call the office at (202) 659-3500 and say it is an urgent referral — a phone call moves faster than any form. Follow with the secure referral submission so records and imaging are attached to the case.
- What should I have ready when I call?
- Patient contact details, the clinical picture in two sentences, any imaging you can send, and relevant medical history — anticoagulants, diabetes, immune status, bisphosphonate exposure. Incomplete records should not delay the call.
- Will I hear back after the patient is seen?
- Yes. Urgent cases prompt a direct call to your office, in addition to the written consult summary with findings, treatment performed or planned, and your role in what follows.
Send the case with confidence.
Secure referral submission, findings back to your office, and your patient returned to you for the restorative phase — by design.