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Emergency Dentist – Grafton, ND
Easing Your Pain and Repairing Your Smile
Dental emergencies can be stressful and painful, but having a plan of action helps. At Kern Family Dentistry, we encourage patients to call our office right away if they’re suffering from a dental dilemma and aren’t sure what to do. We happily offer same-day treatment whenever possible, and are always willing to walk patients through first-aid guidance over the phone until they’re able to reach our office. When our patients call and let us know they’re in a dental emergency, we take their word for it and act quickly and effectively to help them handle the stressful situation and repair their smile. For immediate help and urgent dental attention, don’t hesitate to contact our office right now.
How to Handle Common Dental Emergencies
During a dental emergency in Grafton, being able to act fast is important. When you don’t know how to handle a time-sensitive situation, it can cause further oral damage to occur. That’s why we offer over-the-phone guidance to make sure that you know exactly what to do, even when you’re overwhelmed with the stress of the situation. In addition, we’ve provided some helpful emergency tips below.
Toothaches
Dental pain can be caused by a couple of common problems, including a lodged piece of food debris or a tooth infection. The best way to find out which one is causing your pain is to gently floss around the affected area and rinse your mouth with lukewarm saltwater. This should help dislodge debris between your teeth if there is any. If your pain persists, a likely cause could be a tooth infection, which requires immediate attention from your emergency dentist in Grafton, Dr. Kern.
Chipped/Broken Tooth
Dental damage can either be minor or severe, depending on whether it exposes your sensitive dental pulp located in the inner chamber of your tooth. Whether the situation is urgent or not, it’s important to contact our office to receive treatment. You can place a cold compress on the outside of your face to prevent swelling. Be sure to collect any pieces of your tooth that you’re able to find and bring them with you to our office.
Knocked-Out Tooth
If one of your permanent teeth has been knocked out, time is of the essence. Try to get to our office within an hour of the incident and bring your tooth with you. Be sure to only handle the tooth by its biting surface. Rinse it off under cool water to remove any dirt, without scrubbing it. To keep the tooth moist, try to place it back in its socket or a sealable container full of milk. The sooner you make it to our office, the higher the chances that we’ll be able to reattach it.
Lost Filling/Crown
Broken or damaged restorations are important to fix in a timely manner to avoid additional discomfort and more severe issues. At Kern Family Dentistry, we offer natural looking crowns and cavity fillings so you won’t have to feel self-conscious about your damaged teeth.
How to Prevent Dental Emergencies
Although dental emergencies are impossible to avoid, you can take precautionary measures to reduce your risk of experiencing one. Here are some helpful tips to avoid stressful dental dilemmas:
- Stick to your thorough daily dental hygiene routine.
- Visit Dr. Kern for your checkups and cleanings every six months.
- Be conscious of eating sticky and chewy foods that can damage teeth.
- Don’t use your teeth to open packaging.
- Wear a mouthguard to protect your teeth from nightly grinding.
- Wear a protective guard if you participate in sports or hobbies that put your teeth at risk for being damaged.
Understanding the Cost of Emergency Dentistry
No two dental emergencies are identical, which makes it impossible to determine a set cost of emergency dentistry in Grafton. During your visit, we’ll review any of our diagnoses with you and discuss possible treatment plans. This will provide you with all of the information you need to determine whether your dental insurance will cover the procedures you need to restore your smile. Our team at Kern Family Dentistry also offers additional flexible financing plans that may better suit your needs.
Emergency Dentistry FAQs
At Kern Family Dentistry, we want to make sure our patients have all the information they need at their disposal should a dental emergency arise. Because emergencies can never be completely prevented, it’s important to your oral health that you’re prepared ahead of time. That’s why we have taken the time to answer your most frequently asked questions about dental emergencies.
What Counts as a Dental Emergency?
Since dental discomfort can be fairly common, it may be difficult to decide what exactly warrants emergency treatment. The most common signs that you have a dental emergency include:
- Intense pain
- Severe bleeding from the mouth
- Teeth that are broken, loose, or even missing
Even if you’re unsure whether you truly have a dental emergency on your hands, it’s best to err on the side of caution and give our office a call anyway. We can get to the bottom of your toothache or cracked tooth to determine whether any treatment is necessary.
Should I Go to the Hospital?
In an emergency situation, your first instinct might be to call your local hospital. This is the right call if you are bleeding profusely from the mouth (even after applying pressure for more than 15 minutes), you suspect you have a broken or dislocated jaw, or you’re experiencing swelling that impacts your ability to swallow or breathe. For all other dental emergencies, you’re much better off contacting us instead. This is because the best an emergency room doctor will be able to do is prescribe you painkillers or antibiotics. At Kern Family Dentistry, we can actually get to the root of your problem.
Will I Need a Root Canal?
Root canal therapy is actually one of the most common treatments for a severe toothache. This procedure might have a daunting reputation for being painful, but the truth is that it’s no more uncomfortable than getting a filling, thanks to local anesthetic. During this procedure, we remove the damaged or decayed center of the tooth (known as the pulp), replace it with a synthetic material, and seal the tooth back up with a filling or crown. Most teeth that are treated with root canal therapy go on to last the rest of the patient’s life. However, the only way to know whether your toothache will require a root canal to treat is to call our office and schedule an appointment.
Will My Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?
Because there are so many different types of dental emergencies as well as insurance plans, there is no fixed answer to this question. Treatments for dental emergencies can vary greatly depending on the type of problem you’re experiencing, and as a result, so can your level of insurance coverage. For example, if all you need is a filling, your insurance is likely to cover up to 80% of that treatment. However, if you need a tooth extracted and replaced, your insurance isn’t likely to cover nearly that much. The best way to find out how much you’ll end up paying is to call us and talk to our friendly and helpful team.