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AKLAND, CA — [Insert Date] — When most dental offices close for the night, one Bay Area dentist has built her reputation by remaining available.
Sumeet Sandhu, CEO of Montclair Smile Design, has quietly become known for providing after-hours emergency dentistry — including nights, weekends, and holidays — for patients experiencing severe dental pain.
Over the past several years, Sandhu has treated cases involving acute infections, fractured teeth, broken restorations, and significant swelling — often after patients report calling multiple offices without finding availability.
“Dental pain doesn’t wait for business hours,” Sandhu said. “If someone is in severe discomfort on a Sunday night or during a holiday, they deserve timely care. Emergency dentistry should be about relieving suffering when it happens.”
Access to urgent dental care outside traditional hours has become increasingly limited in many communities. Patients frequently turn to hospital emergency rooms for dental pain, which often cannot provide definitive treatment. Sandhu structured her Oakland-based practice to help fill that gap.
Now, she is expanding her focus to another underserved group: patients who avoid dental care due to fear or trauma.
Studies estimate that millions of Americans delay dental treatment because of anxiety — often rooted in negative childhood experiences or past painful procedures. According to Sandhu, many emergency cases stem from years of avoidance.
“These patients aren’t neglecting their health,” she said. “They’re protecting themselves from something that once felt unsafe. Our responsibility is to change that experience.”
Montclair Smile Design is expanding sedation dentistry services and implementing trauma-informed care protocols designed for high-anxiety patients. The practice offers oral conscious sedation, extended appointment times, enhanced monitoring, and patient-guided pacing during treatment to improve comfort and rebuild trust.
While emergency dentistry may bring patients into the office, Sandhu emphasizes long-term solutions through restorative care and comprehensive smile design.
“Our goal is to move patients from crisis to confidence,” she said.