It’s Saturday. You’re playing a pickup basketball game. You go in for a layup, but the defender inadvertently catches you with an elbow to the mouth. Broken front tooth. 

You wake up Sunday morning with a throbbing toothache. Just deal with it until the dentist’s office opens on Monday? Not a great option when the pain is far more than a nagging inconvenience.  

That’s where The Weekend Dentist comes in. Dr. Jake Andersen opened the office in 

October at 4085 S. 2200 West in West Valley City to provide dental care during a time of the week when such service is hard to find. “We get quite a mixed bag,” Andersen said of situations he’s treated at his main office in South Ogden and expects to see in West Valley City. 

“Sometimes people will chip their front tooth right before a wedding or a family photo shoot. Sometimes people have a toothache for weeks and they finally can’t bear it anymore. Sometimes they’re just munching on a piece of pizza and they break their tooth,” Andersen said. “We’ve seen it all.”  

Weekend procedures can also include extractions and root canals if needed. 

Andersen guesses that only about 5% of dental offices in Salt Lake County are available for weekend emergencies. There is no solid number on the number of weekend dentists nationwide. That gives him hope that the West Valley City office will get a big bite of the potential local business from people seeking relief from oral discomfort to outright pain that strikes from late Friday through Sunday. 

The doctor was asked how people cope with dental issues when after-hours treatment is not available. “A lot of people just try to resolve it themselves,” Andersen replied. “I’ve had patients say the only thing that works for them is whiskey.” Others will try cold water or purchasing over-the-counter remedies, which he says are rarely effective. A visit to an emergency room or clinic often yields no more than a prescription for antibiotics “which usually doesn’t help with that pain at all,” Andersen said. 

Andersen grew up in Fruit Heights. He earned a Bachelor’s degree from Utah State University then pursued his dental education at Roseman College of Dentistry. He practiced in Arizona and Colorado before returning to Utah in 2021 and starting The Weekend Dentist in South Ogden specializing in off-hours treatment.

“It’s something I’ve always been intrigued with,” Andersen said. “I don’t really enjoy the typical style of general dentistry—doing checkups and cleanings, telling people things they don’t want to hear about how they need a filling or how they need a crown when they feel like their tooth is fine. It’s not fun to try to sell people on that.” On the other hand, he said “people who come in with a toothache know they need the treatment and it’s a lot more satisfying and enjoyable to get them out of pain.” 

Current hours are Saturday and Sunday from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. “If I can get a little more momentum (for the office), it’ll be open Friday nights as well,” Andersen said. For now, the West Valley City office takes payment only by cash or check. If it accepts insurance in the future, that could allow it to extend its hours. The Weekend Dentist’s location makes it a convenient destination for oral emergencies among people in Taylorsville and Kearns. 

Andersen and his staff are fluent in Spanish, which is especially helpful in serving a sizeable share of the population in West Valley City and surrounding communities.

The Weekend Dentist in West Valley City can be reached at 385-267-7400 or www.utahweekenddentist.com. Appointments can be scheduled but walk-ins are welcome.