Emergency Dentistry For Urgent Care
Accidents happen, but when they happen and cause injury to your mouth they can be scary. It is important to know an emergency dentist who is able to offer after-hours emergency services for those scary times when dental emergencies happen. If you need timely and affordable emergency dental care Lawhead Family Dentistry is available to provide you high-quality emergency services in your time of need.
Broken Or Cracked Teeth
Even strong and healthy teeth can break or crack. If you chip a tooth while eating or crack a tooth due to a traumatic injury it is important to contact us as soon as possible. If the damaged tooth is painful, you can take a non-prescription pain reliever like Ibuprofen or Tylenol.
Lost Crown
An appointment should be made as soon as possible to replace the lost crown. Until you are able to see your dentist it is not recommended to place the crown back in your mouth, as it is at risk of being swallowed. You should store it in a plastic bag until your dental appointment.
Lost Filling
A damaged or lost filling is not a dental emergency. If you do not experience intense pain from the damage to your filling, it is likely that you can wait and visit the dental office at the next available appointment time. If there is severe pain when your filling is lost or damaged, contact us immediately for treatment.
Severe Toothaches
Having a toothache can make it impossible to eat, sleep, and make it through your day without incredible discomfort. A toothache can be caused by a serious underlying dental issue including an abscess, infection, or an irritated nerve. When a non-prescription pain reliever does not help alleviate the pain you are experiencing, this can be considered an emergency. Other steps you can take to help with the pain while you are waiting to see your emergency dentist include:
- Place a cold compress against your cheek near the sore tooth.
- Rinse your mouth out with salt water. The salt water kills bacteria and may help reduce inflammation.
We will need to examine the tooth and determine the cause of the pain. This may involve X-rays and testing. Once the source of the pain is determined Dr. Carlin or Dr. Chris will develop a treatment plan to alleviate the toothache pain.
Dental Abscess
An abscess is when an infection develops in or around the root of a tooth. Not only can abscesses be seriously painful, they can spread to the jaw bone, nearby teeth, or into the blood and be very dangerous. If you have a toothache with swelling of the cheek or jaw, you should contact us as soon as possible. In addition to pain, another symptom of a dental abscess is a fever. If you have a fever and a toothache you should call an emergency dentist immediately.
If you have any of the dental emergencies described above, contact us immediately to help minimize the risk of serious health concerns in the future. The actions you take while you are waiting to be seen are important and can help temporarily relieve pain until you are able to have a proper dental examination.
Knocked-Out Tooth
It can be traumatic to have a tooth knocked out. Fortunately, there are dentists available to provide emergency dental services in the midst of this trauma. Ideally, if your tooth is knocked out, you should try to seek dental treatment within an hour of the accident. The sooner you see us the more likely your dentist will be able to save the tooth. If you have a tooth that has been knocked-out you should:
- Gently run it under clean, cold water, do NOT scrub the tooth
- Try to push it back into the socket, making sure it is facing the correct direction
- If you cannot get the tooth back into the socket, place it in a container of cold milk or Gatorade
Once you visit our office, Dr. Carlin or Dr. Chris will examine the tooth, take radiographs, and make a plan for the tooth.