An Emergency Dentist Can Help You in a Time of Need

As a family dentist providing emergency dentist care, we will be there for you in your time of need. If you have a dental emergency, we will not ask you to wait for weeks to schedule an appointment but will work to schedule you for immediate care.  While open during business hours, we can get you in right away so that you can feel better. Listed below are a few common reasons you may want to visit our office as soon as you can.

Q: How can a family dentist save my chipped tooth?
A: Besides being an esthetically unappealing addition to your smile, a chipped tooth can also cause a large amount of discomfort. For an immediate fix and relief from discomfort, our dentist office can help.

Our quick dental bonding is the most commonly used solution for a chipped tooth. As a family dentist providing emergency dentist care, we can place a composite resin material over the open surface and harden it to a perfect shape and a durable consistency. For a smaller chip, you may just need a minor enamel shaping to buff out the uneven area, creating a smooth, natural-looking surface. For a larger chip or more extensive damage, we can apply a thin veneer to create a natural looking, attractive tooth once again.

Q: How can a family dentist replace my lost tooth?
A: If you have lost your tooth and are having trouble getting an appointment for a long-term fix, our dentist office can help. There is a variety of options available to replace missing teeth. Regardless of the number of teeth that need replacing, we can create dentures, a dental bridge, or even place an implant as needed. A dental implant is our most permanent option available.

Q: How can you treat my painful cavity?
A: Some cavities are small and don't cause any discomfort. In this case, a quick fluoride treatment or small filling may do the trick to prevent further decay. If your cavity has already gotten to an uncomfortable stage, we can help by treating it right now. We will first remove the existing decay, and then will fill in your tooth with a strong and durable filling. Our filling options vary in color and strength, but our most requested filling type is our composite resin. This filling is tooth-colored and provides long-term protection against further tooth decay.

If your cavity is beyond filling repair, we can perform a root canal or tooth extraction if needed. We try to avoid these options in most cases because we like to preserve as much of your natural tooth as possible. As a family dentist providing emergency dentist care, we can also provide you with a resilient, personalized crown that will cover your existing tooth and prevent more damage.  Whether your tooth and gum problems are large or small, we are prepared to help at any time. We will give you the care and attention you deserve when you need it most. Since we provide treatment during business hours, we do our best to leave room in the schedule for patients with a dental emergency and we can also provide you with suggestions for how to stay comfortable while waiting to come in.

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Here are Questions Normally Asked by an Emergency Dentist

You may need to visit an emergency dentist during the course of your lifetime, many people do. A variety of incidents or even an infection can send a patient to the emergency room or to an emergency dentist’s office. Over the years, we have developed a protocol, which we use on the phone, to make sure we get a clear understanding of what your emergency is. We have no intention of keeping you on the phone for any length of time. Rather, it is our aim to understand your situation, get a feel for what caused the circumstances, and then give you solid steps to take that will help minimize any permanent damage to your mouth while you prepare to come in. Understanding that people often have an emotional response to injury or dental pain, our team is very empathetic and will do their best to soothe your nerves as well as get a preliminary diagnosis.

If you visit an emergency dentist, we understand you are coming in because the pain is extremely severe or because you have a serious accidental dental injury. The very fact, that you are seeking medical attention, tells us that we need to get you in as soon as possible. To that end, we need to get a proper assessment of the situation and determine what your next steps should be. While we have you on the phone, we are also preparing for your visit and giving you instructions on how to be prepared as well. It is strongly advised that you have someone with you during this process and have someone drive you in as it is never a good idea to drive when you are impaired by pain or pain medication. 

Here are some of the questions we may ask you:

Are you bleeding? This is important for us to know so that we can give you advice on stopping the bleeding. Additionally, we will want to know how much you are bleeding and what steps you have taken to stop the bleeding. If we determine that it is excessive we may recommend that you go to the emergency room instead of our office. We do not want you to lose a lot of blood, and if the bleeding is mild we can advise you on ways to stop the bleeding on your way in. 

Is the tooth still attached? Whether or not your tooth is still in its cavity and attached is an important piece of information.  If it has fallen out we can provide you with information on what you need to do to keep it safe during transport to our office.  In general, we recommend locating the tooth and rinsing it in warm water without touching the roots.  Then, it should be placed in a glass of milk for preservation.  If necessary, you can even stop at the local gas station to buy milk on the way into our emergency dentist office. This may make it possible for us to reattach the tooth when you get here.