Emergency Dentist Easton

It’s Time to Get the Help You Need

Broken teeth, lacerated tissues, lost dental crowns, sensitive teeth, and even jaw pain are all common examples of dental emergencies. At Sound Dentistry, we know the panic that can arise when a sudden injury like this occurs, and it’s why you can expect to receive the timely care you need. Offering same-day and weekend emergency appointments, our team is here to help you out of pain as well as restore and rebuild your smile for better oral health. Call us if you or someone you love needs treatment from an emergency dentist in Easton.

Man with tooth pain looking in mirror needing emergency dentist in Easton

Why Choose Sound Dentistry for Emergency Dentistry?

  • Same-Day & Emergency Weekend Appointments
  • Team of Board-Certified Specialists In-House
  • Oral Conscious Sedation for Maximum Comfort

 

What to Do in a Dental Emergency

Woman in dental chair holding her cheek in pain
  • Contact Our Office to Schedule an Appointment – You’ll need to call our team to discuss the occurrence and find out what you can do to reduce the pain while at home. We will not only work to get you in as soon as possible but also provide helpful tips so that you don’t cause additional harm to your smile.
  • Undergo a Thorough Examination – Our team of specialists will take digital images and conduct a visual examination to identify the problem area and compile the necessary information about your case.
  • Analyze the Findings and Produce a Treatment Plan – Once we have finished our examination, we’ll analyze our findings and build a treatment plan that targets the problem area using one or more restorative solutions.
  • Receive Timely Care – After reviewing the plan with you, we will begin to administer the appropriate care to help you out of pain and give you back your beautiful, healthy, functional smile.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

Certain dental emergencies should be immediately cared for at a local emergency room, such as excessive bleeding, continuous swelling, and even a fractured or broken jaw. However, the injuries listed below are just some of the most common ones we can treat in-house, saving you time and money while working toward a healthier smile.

Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies

Person squeezing toothpaste onto a toothbrush

Accidents can happen unexpectedly, so not all dental emergencies are preventable. With that said, you can reduce your risk of experiencing one by being proactive about your oral health. More specifically, we recommend:

Visit Your Dentist Regularly

Woman smiling at reflection in handheld mirror

In short, keeping up with your regular six-month dental checkups and teeth cleanings is essential. After all, these routine visits play a crucial role in helping us catch tooth decay, gum disease, damaged restorations, and other common dental problems in the early stages. Plus, the cleaning portion of these appointments allows us to periodically remove plaque and tartar, which helps keep your teeth and gums decay and infection-free!

Maintain Good Oral Hygiene At Home

Patient smiling while flossing his teeth in bathroom

Of course, you also need to take good care of your smile at home. The first step? Use a soft-bristle toothbrush and fluoridated toothpaste to brush your teeth twice a day. Then, floss and rinse with mouthwash at least once a day to remove food particles, plaque, and other debris from between your teeth. If you’re ever unsure which products to use or you need a refresher on proper technique, don’t hesitate to give us a call!

Stick to a Nutritious Diet

Woman smiling while eating lunch in kitchen

Remember, nutrient-rich foods positively impact your oral and your overall health. So, if you want to keep your teeth and gums healthy, you need to fill your plate with seasonal fruits, fresh vegetables, lean proteins, and the like. Simultaneously, limit your intake of foods and drinks that are packed with added sugar and exercise caution with crunchy and starchy snacks, like hard pretzels and tortilla chips.

Wear a Mouthguard During Sports

Woman running on trail outside

Another important step you should take to prevent dental emergencies in Easton is to wear a mouthguard when you’re being active (even if it’s with a non-contact sport, like running or riding your bike). You should also wear a nightguard if you grind or clench your teeth at night. That way, you’re significantly less likely to experience chips, cracks, and fractures in your enamel.

Use Tools to Open Packages, Not Your Teeth

Closeup of woman biting her nails

Of course, protecting your smile is also about what you should NOT do. In addition to not using tobacco products or drinking alcohol excessively, we recommend giving up other potentially mouth-damaging habits, like using your teeth as tools to open things. You also shouldn’t chew on ice or bite your nails since those can also lead to premature wear and tear on your teeth.

The Cost of Treating Dental Emergencies

Woman in dental chair wincing and holding her cheek

The cost of treating dental emergencies cannot be determined until we have a chance to review your current injury. Based on our treatment plan recommendations, we can build a cost estimate for you to review with our administrative team. This will allow you to learn more about the different payment options that are accepted. One thing you should remember is that avoiding timely care will only put your smile at further risk, so worry less about cost, and focus more on the status of your oral health.

More to Explore

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Toothaches

  • Is My Toothache a Dental Emergency? Some toothaches are caused by dental decay or gum disease, but others are symptoms of milder issues, such as sinus infection. Generally, severe or persistent pain indicates a dental emergency. Call us right away if you’re experiencing this type of pain or any of these additional effects:
    • Sharp sensitivity
    • A small, pimple-like bump near the gumline
    • Dark discoloration other than staining
    • Facial swelling
    • Fever-like symptoms
  • How You Should Handle a Toothache: Carefully examine your aching tooth, but try not to touch it or the surrounding area. Sometimes debris or food particles that get stuck between your teeth can cause alarming toothaches, in which case you should carefully attempt to remove the object. Otherwise, take pain relievers to ease your discomfort and call us for more detailed instructions.
  • How We Treat Toothaches: First we’ll have to examine your mouth to determine what the root problem is, which will likely involve taking an X-ray. Depending on your situation, we might recommend a dental restoration to treat decay, periodontal therapy for gum disease, an oral appliance for jaw complications, or tooth extraction if the problem is severe. Don’t worry – we’ll be sure to keep you informed throughout the process so you can be confident in your treatment.

Learn More About Dental Restorations

Learn More About Periodontal Therapy

Learn More About Jaw Complications

Learn More About Tooth Extraction

Chipped Teeth

  • Is a Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? Chips are usually not as urgent as dental cracks, however, they should still be treated promptly. They can leave your tooth vulnerable to infection and further damage. To avoid complications, go ahead and call us as soon as possible!
  • How You Should Handle a Chipped Tooth: If you can, find shards of your tooth, and secure them in a reliable container. Adding a small pool of saliva or milk will keep them safely hydrated. Since your tooth could be jagged and potentially hurt your gums or oral tissue, rinse your mouth with warm water and avoid chewing with it.
  • How We Treat Chipped Teeth: Direct bonding can conceal most chips effectively and aesthetically. However, depending on how you feel about it, we could also repair the damage with dental veneers.

Learn More About Direct Bonding

Learn More About Veneers

Cracked Tooth

  • Is a Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? You might think your dental crack is pretty small, but your enamel doesn’t! Cracks are dental emergencies because even miniscule fissures expose the more sensitive layers of your tooth, increasing your risk for infection. Like a chip in a windshield, they can also sustain further damage and break. It’s best to protect the area or seal the crack as soon as possible.
  • How You Should Handle a Cracked Tooth: To help prevent bacteria from sneaking through the crack in your tooth and causing infection, you should rinse your mouth with warm water after each meal. Try not to eat or chew with your affected tooth, though, and shift food to the other side of your mouth. If the damage is causing sensitivity, take over-the-counter pain relievers as needed.
  • How We Treat Cracked Teeth: Deep cracks can be treated with a dental crown, which will preserve your tooth’s structure and protect it from further harm. For smaller damage, we might be able to fill the crack with direct bonding. In extreme cases, it might be necessary to replace the tooth entirely.

Learn More About Dental Crowns

Learn More About Direct Bonding

Learn More About Tooth Replacements

Very Sensitive Teeth

Are Very Sensitive Teeth a Dental Emergency? Sometimes, yes! For example, if your gums are bleeding when you floss, it hurts to bite down, or you’re experiencing any other abnormal symptoms in addition to dental sensitivity, you should call us right away to schedule an emergency exam.

How You Should Handle Very Sensitive Teeth First, try switching to a desensitizing toothpaste. It’s also important that you avoid doing anything that could exacerbate your symptoms, like eating really spicy food or drinking hot tea or coffee.

How We Treat Very Sensitive Teeth To provide you with an answer, we need to conduct a comprehensive oral exam. Sometimes, we discover that a small cavity is the culprit. Other times, it’s something more severe, like advanced gum disease.

LEARN MORE ABOUT GUM DISEASE TREATMENT

Knocked-Out Tooth

Is My Knocked-Out Tooth a Dental Emergency? A knocked-out tooth always warrants an emergency visit. So, if you are in the Easton area, don’t hesitate to call us ASAP! From there, we can schedule an appointment, walk you through what to do step-by-step, and answer any questions you have.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Tooth Preserving the root surface cells of your teeth is essential, which is why we recommend either placing the tooth in a clean container filled with milk or putting it back in its socket (if it slides back into place without any force).

How We Treat Knocked-Out Teeth If your tooth is in good condition and you get to our office within the hour, there’s a good chance we’ll be able to save your tooth. If you weren’t able to find your tooth, it was badly damaged, or you’re already missing teeth, then we will likely recommend restoring your smile with dental implants instead.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL IMPLANTS

Lost Filling or Crown

Is a Lost Filling or Crown a Dental Emergency? If anything happens to your restoration – whether it comes loose or it completely falls out – give us a call. Once we know a little more about your situation, we can determine if a same-day visit to our office is necessary.

How You Should Handle a Lost Filling or Crown We mentioned an important step above: calling us to schedule an appointment. Outside of that, place your restoration somewhere safe (like a small, clean container), avoid chewing on that side of your mouth, and rinse periodically with clean, room-temperature water.

How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns Our recommendation will depend entirely on your unique situation. For example, if your filling fell out, we may recommend replacing it with a new one. If your dental crown came loose, but it’s relatively new, we may simply re-cement it back in place.

Broken Dentures  

Is My Broken Denture a Dental Emergency? Since wearing a broken denture can lead to difficulty chewing, soft tissue irritation, and other unpleasant consequences, we do recommend contacting us to schedule an appointment, even if the damage seems relatively minor.

How You Should Handle a Broken Denture Calling us to schedule an appointment is a good first step. We also recommend putting your denture in a clean container to help protect it from further harm.

How We Treat Broken Dentures Hopefully, we’ll be able to repair your dentures at our office. If that’s not possible, then we will begin the process of having a new traditional or implant denture made.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL IMPLANTS

Loose Permanent Tooth  

Is a Loose Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes, so call our South Easton dental team ASAP! Over the phone, we can assess how urgent the situation is and, if necessary, schedule a same-day appointment.

How You Should Handle Loose Permanent Teeth Handling this dental emergency properly is largely about what NOT to do: do not wiggle the tooth with your tongue, do not touch the tooth with your finger, do not eat any crunchy or sticky foods, and do not wait to get in touch with us.

How We Treat Loose Permanent Teeth It’s possible that your tooth just needs some support to heal back in place, which we can accomplish with a dental splint. If saving your tooth is not possible, however, then we will need to extract it before putting a dental bridge or implant in its place.

LEARN MORE ABOUT TOOTH EXTRACTIONS

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL IMPLANTS

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue  

Is an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue a Dental Emergency? Not usually. That said, there is an important exception: if the bleeding is uncontrollable, you should call 911 or head to the ER immediately.

How You Should Handle an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue First, go to the sink and rinse your mouth gently with clean, cool water. Then, use gauze or a damp, clean washcloth to apply pressure to the cut. Within 10 minutes, the bleeding should stop, and, at that point, you can apply a cold compress.

How We Treat Injuries to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue Soft tissue injuries don’t typically warrant a visit to our office because they are minor enough that they can be handled at home or severe enough that they require an ER visit. That said, you can always give us a call – we’re here to help!

Jaw Pain  

Is Jaw Pain a Dental Emergency? Jaw pain definitely shouldn’t be ignored, especially if it has progressed to the point where it’s negatively impacting your quality of life. If that’s the case, you should call us right away so we can conduct a comprehensive oral exam.

How You Should Handle Jaw Pain Using a cold compress, eating soft foods, and taking OTC pain medication as directed will help alleviate your symptoms in the short-term. For long-term relief, schedule an exam. That way, we can determine what the root of the problem is and the best way to treat it!

How We Treat Jaw Pain Jaw pain can arise for several reasons – from chronic teeth grinding to impacted wisdom teeth and TMJ dysfunction. That’s why we need to learn about your symptoms, take X-rays, and conduct an oral exam. Then, we can discuss what your treatment options are!

LEARN MORE ABOUT TMJ TREATMENT

Something Stuck Between the Teeth  

If you’re experiencing discomfort or your gums are inflamed because there is something stuck between your teeth, do your best not to panic. Instead, rinse with warm saltwater before gently flossing. If that doesn’t work, give us a call instead of reaching for tweezers or something else that’s sharp.