If you believe you’re experiencing a dental emergency, call our office immediately at 940-329-4605. If it’s after hours, leave a message, and we’ll respond as soon as possible to bring you into the office.
While taking diligent care of your oral health can help prevent a dental emergency, it can still happen to anyone. Something may build up for a long time, or it can be a freak accident that causes dental trauma. No matter the cause, Stone Creek Dental counts emergency dentistry in Denton, TX, as one of the general dental offerings in our office.
Emergency Dental Care in Denton, TX
While instinct is usually to panic, it’s important to remain calm when facing a dental emergency. Try your best to keep a level head and assess the situation. If a restoration or tooth has been knocked out of your mouth, take care to find the tooth or pieces of the restoration so you can bring them into the office. After this, call our office immediately. We’ll do our best to tweak our schedule and ensure we can see you as soon as we possibly can.
Once you’re in our office, we’ll do a thorough oral exam and an exam of any materials you bring with you. We’ll discuss your pain level, what happened, and any other details you remember. We may do x-rays or other diagnostic testing to determine the root cause of the problem so that we know exactly how to treat it. Once all of this is done, we’ll come back to you with a personalized treatment plan to move forward with.
The plan will be completely unique, as each patient’s situation is different. For some problems, like a chipped tooth, we may be able to do dental bonding and take care of the issue on the same day. For a broken restoration or something requiring a dental crown, we’ll set you up with a temporary solution until the permanent one is ready.
Common Dental Emergencies
There are a variety of dental emergencies you may experience. Here are some of the most common ones we see in our office.
Toothache/Tooth Pain
The most common is some sort of tooth pain. Toothaches can have a variety of different causes, so it’s important to come to the office so that we can determine the root cause of yours. You may have a damaged tooth because of trauma, an infection, or an abscess in that area.
Chipped or Broken Tooth
A tooth chip can range from small and cosmetic to large and painful. If you can bring in the piece of the tooth that broke off, do so. There are many different treatment options for a broken tooth. We review them with you to ensure you get the right solution for your specific situation.
Knocked-out Tooth
Particularly with adult teeth, a knocked-out tooth can induce panic. If you can, retrieve the knocked-out tooth and put it in a small cup of saliva or milk. This helps preserve the tooth so it’s possibly viable for replacement. Our office offers various solutions to replace missing teeth if we can’t use your natural tooth.
Lost or Damaged Restoration
A dental restoration can range from a single dental crown to a full denture. Retrieve your restoration or as many pieces as you can and bring them to the office so we can examine them. It may be viable to repair and be put back into use, or we’ll replace it with something completely new. If it’s something like a dental crown, it’s imperative that you not try to put the damaged restoration back into your mouth on your own.
Importance of Emergency Dentistry
Dental emergencies are painful. It’s hard for you to function normally when experiencing debilitating pain. At the very least, emergency dentistry can help manage your pain and alleviate your condition. Tooth pain is the most common emergency we see in our office. There are many different causes of tooth pain, which is why it requires diagnosis from our office. We ensure we’re treating the root cause of the pain so that the pain is stopped at the source.
Untreated dental emergencies can lead to severe complications. It’s crucial to seek emergency care promptly to avoid the possibility of these more intense developments. Things like bone infections, gum disease, and tooth loss are all possibilities if you don’t seek dental care when your symptoms start. We treat pain, control infections, and ensure the problem doesn’t progress any further.
A dental emergency is understandably stressful. Your emotions are high, and you’re trying to calm your fear and anxiety to control the situation. We’re trained to give our patients compassionate, comfortable care. You can rest assured that you have a safe environment where you know you’re in the best hands. Our team can help you regain confidence and know you’re on track to a resolved condition.
Preventing Dental Emergencies
One of the worst things about dental emergencies is that some can happen to anyone, no matter how well you care for your oral health. It’s impossible to prevent the possibility of any dental emergency, but there are preventative measures you can take to minimize your risk.
Good oral hygiene is the best way to prevent infections and tooth decay. Brushing and flossing prevent food particles and bacteria from building up on and around your teeth. Bacteria feed on food particles, emitting an acidic byproduct that’s the root cause of tooth decay and dental cavities. This erodes the tooth enamel, giving bacteria access to the deeper, more sensitive layers under the enamel.
Regular dental visits are a crucial part of preventing dental emergencies. Each one provides a thorough dental exam. We look at all your teeth and use diagnostic technologies like x-rays to examine all tooth structures. We also check dental restorations, like fillings and crowns, to ensure they’re all in good shape. If we find any issues, we can teach you the best prevention methods and ensure you’re on a path to good oral health.
Many common dental emergencies occur when playing sports or other intense activities. A mouthguard protects your teeth from damage or being knocked out during physical activities. Nightguards can prevent the effects of grinding and clenching your teeth at night. The pressure exerted on these teeth can break or wear down your teeth prematurely.
Emergency Dentistry FAQs
Anyone can experience a dental emergency. Read the answers to these frequently asked questions to learn more.
Am I having a dental emergency?
Patients may question whether what they’re experiencing is an emergency. It’s considered an emergency if the problem requires immediate attention. When in doubt, be safe and call our office to make sure. Anything that causes sharp or sudden pain needs emergency care. So does losing an adult tooth or breaking a restoration or tooth. Always be safe rather than sorry.
How can I prevent dental emergencies?
Dental emergencies can happen to anyone, but there are ways you can strengthen your teeth and try to avoid them. Brushing, flossing, and visiting the dentist regularly keep your smile at its best. If you play a sport, consider getting a custom mouthguard to protect your teeth and any dental restorations when you’re playing. You can also put together an emergency kit and keep it with you.
Can I go to the emergency room for a dental emergency?
No, dental emergencies need to be treated by a licensed dentist. It’s very rare that a hospital has one of those on staff. ER staff don’t have training that’s specific to the teeth. An emergency room can treat something that’s tissue-based, though. If you have a cut on the inside of the mouth or other soft tissue, they can stitch that up for you. They can also prescribe antibiotics if you have an oral infection.
What’s the most common dental emergency?
Tooth pain or toothache is the most common. There can be many different causes of tooth pain. Without training, it’s hard for you to determine what exactly the pain is from. The pain can be caused by an abscess or infection below the bone’s gumline. You can’t see this infection unless you get X-rays or other dental imaging.
Are all dentists emergency dentists?
No, so you must go to one with specialized training for emergency situations, not just preventative care. Not all dentists are available after hours, either. Dental emergencies don’t just happen at convenient times when the office is open. You need a dentist who can get you care ASAP, whenever you need it.
How should I handle a dental emergency?
If anything falls out of your mouth, try to get all the pieces and bring them to the office. For pain, utilize over-the-counter pain medications and cold compresses. These things can help with swelling, too. The most important thing is to keep calm and manage the situation. If there’s blood, use gauze or a towel to try and slow it down. Call our office as soon as possible so you can be seen.
Call Our Office Today
If you’re experiencing a dental emergency, call our office immediately. Call us or schedule an appointment online if you have other dental concerns.