Emergency Dentist Holden

Is My Toothache a Dental Emergency? If you are struggling with a toothache, even a relatively minor one, don’t wait – call our emergency dentist in Holden, Dr. Hu. That way, he can diagnose and treat the root of the problem before it progresses further.

How You Should Handle a Toothache Scheduling an appointment with us is an important step. We also recommend doing what you can to alleviate your discomfort in the short-term and protect your tooth from further harm, like taking OTC pain medication as directed and avoiding crunchy foods.

How We Treat Toothaches We offer several restorative treatments, including same-day dental crowns. As a result, you don’t need to deal with multiple visits and temporary restorations. Instead, we can restore the look, health, and function of your tooth within an hour or two.

Is a Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? The urgency of the situation depends largely on the severity of the damage. That said, we always recommend calling us so we can get an appointment on the calendar within the next couple of days at the very least.

How You Should Handle a Chipped Tooth After collecting any pieces of your tooth and rinsing your mouth with clean, room-temperature water, we recommend placing some sugar-free gum or dental wax over your tooth to prevent a soft tissue injury.

How We Treat Chipped Teeth How we restore the missing structure of your tooth depends on several factors, including the size of the chip. If it’s minor, cosmetic dental bonding may be an option. If it’s more severe, then veneers or Lumineers may be needed instead. At your appointment, we will review all of your treatment options in-depth so you can confidently decide which one is best for you.

Is a Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? Cracked teeth do require same-day care, especially if the damage is visible. So, don’t hesitate to reach out to our emergency dentist in Holden.

How You Should Handle a Cracked Tooth Avoid chewing on that side of your mouth, especially hard pretzels, raw almonds, and ice cubes. It’s also important to rinse periodically with clean, room-temperature water and, if needed, take OTC pain medication as directed to alleviate discomfort.

How We Treat Cracked Teeth Once you arrive at our office, Dr. Hu will complete a comprehensive oral exam to determine if your tooth can be saved. If it can, then the solution will likely be a dental crown. If it can’t, then we will need to extract it. Then, we can put a dental implant in its place to give you a complete smile and a strong bite again.

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Are Very Sensitive Teeth a Dental Emergency? Sometimes, yes! For example, if you’re dealing with considerable sensitivity in tandem with other abnormal symptoms, like pain when biting down, we do recommend scheduling an appointment with our emergency dentist in Holden ASAP.

How You Should Handle Very Sensitive Teeth In addition to taking OTC pain medication as directed to manage your discomfort, avoid doing anything that could exacerbate your symptoms. That starts with eating spicy foods and extends to drinking hot coffee.

How We Treat Very Sensitive Teeth When you arrive at our office, Dr. Crowley-Le will learn more about your symptoms and complete a comprehensive oral exam to pinpoint the culprit. Then, she will review all of your treatment options, from a tooth-colored filling to a dental crown.

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Is My Knocked-Out Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes! In fact, the tooth starts to die after 15 minutes, so it’s of the utmost importance that you call us right away. That way, we can schedule an emergency exam and walk you through what to do (and what NOT to do) to protect the root surface cells of your teeth.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Tooth While you can rinse your tooth with clean water to remove dirt and other debris, you should not submerge it in a container filled with water. Instead, you should place the tooth back in its socket or in a clean container filled with milk.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Teeth Our goal is always to save your natural teeth, but there are some cases when that’s not possible. If your tooth was lost or damaged beyond repair, don’t worry – we can replace it with a custom dental bridge or implant, ensuring you aren’t without a complete smile for long.

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Is a Lost Filling or Crown a Dental Emergency? Although your tooth isn’t in immediate danger, it can break without the restoration securely in place. For that reason, we do recommend scheduling a same-day appointment with us if you are able.

How You Should Handle a Lost Filling or Crown If you have your restoration, you should place it in a small, clean container to keep it safe until your appointment. You also should rinse periodically with clean, room-temperature water and avoid chewing on that side of your mouth in the meantime. If needed, you can take OTC pain medication as directed as well.

How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns That depends largely on your unique situation, including the type of restoration. If you lost a dental filling, then we will simply replace it with a new one. If your dental crown came loose, but you have it and it’s in good condition, then we may recement it back in place instead of having an entirely new one made.

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Is My Broken Denture a Dental Emergency? A broken denture warrants an immediate call to our dental office in Holden. If your restoration isn’t working, you won’t be able to fix it yourself, plus it might cause further harm.

How You Should Handle a Broken Denture: Instead of continuing to wear your dentures, place them in a clean container to prevent further damage. Until your appointment, try to eat only soft foods that require no chewing, like yogurt, smoothies, cottage cheese, and similar items.

How We Treat Broken Dentures: First, we’ll see if your dentures can be repaired at our office. If the damage is severe, we might need to replace the restoration entirely.   

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Is a Loose Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes, especially if it feels like the tooth might fall out or if you have trouble biting down with it! The sooner you let us know, the sooner we’ll be able to alleviate any pain and restore your tooth.

How You Should Handle Loose Permanent Teeth: If you have a loose tooth, you should refrain from wiggling it or poking it with your tongue or finger—instead, do what you can to keep it from loosening further. Avoid touching it or chewing with that side of your mouth.

How We Treat Loose Permanent Teeth: Fortunately, loose permanent teeth can often be saved with the help of a dental split. If this isn’t possible, or if the tooth poses a threat to your oral health, we might suggest tooth extraction and replacement.

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Is an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue a Dental Emergency? Normally, these situations aren’t considered dental emergencies, but if you’re bleeding uncontrollably, head to the ER or call 911.

How You Should Handle an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue: You can rinse your mouth gently with clean water to help locate the cut. Using a clean, damp washcloth or gauze, apply pressure to it for a few minutes.

How We Treat Injuries to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue: As mentioned above, in most cases, you should be able to stop the bleeding yourself, but if things don’t improve, head to the ER to get proper medical care.

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Is Jaw Pain a Dental Emergency? Jaw pain doesn’t often require same-day care, but give us a call right away if your symptoms have persisted for several days or they’re interfering with your daily life.

How You Should Handle Jaw Pain: We recommend using a cold compress for 10 minutes at a time to help with jaw pain. You can also use over-the-counter pain relievers as instructed to find relief. It’s also wise to avoid crunchy or hard-to-chew foods.

How We Treat Jaw Pain: How we treat jaw pain depends on its cause. If it’s due to chronic teeth grinding, we might advise wearing a nightguard. If it’s due to impacted wisdom teeth, it might be time to consider wisdom tooth extraction. 

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You may want to reach for a toothpick or something else small and sharp to dislodge the item, but this is unwise. Instead, rinse your mouth with warm saltwater for a few minutes, and then use a small piece of dental floss to clean between your teeth. If the debris remains, give our office a call.