Emergency Dentistry – White Settlement, TX

Why Choose Us For Emergency Dentistry

• Same-day emergency appointments available
• All dental insurances (including Medicaid/CHIP) accepted
• Extended hours early in the morning, evenings & Saturdays

How to Handle Common Dental Emergencies

Most dental emergencies can be neatly slotted into two different categories. First, there are unexpected events, usually involving physical injuries like fracturing a tooth or knocking one out entirely. Then, there are dreaded infections that can lead to uncomfortable “toothaches,” which occur because of lackluster oral hygiene practices at home.

Here are a few tips for how to manage some of the most common dental emergencies we see before you’re able to reach our dental office:

  

Toothaches

Sometimes, a toothache can be caused by a piece of food or other debris that’s caught between the tooth and the gum tissue. To rule out this possibility first, try flossing around the source of the pain and rinsing your mouth. If the discomfort persists, there’s likely a serious infection within the tooth that needs to be addressed by professional care. Contact our location right away for further instruction, and feel free to take a painkiller in the interim to manage symptoms.

Chipped/Broken Teeth

Chipped/broken teeth can be relatively minor in scope or severe enough to require tooth extraction. Start by gathering any large pieces of the tooth that have come loose; bring them with you to our Fort Worth location. Bleeding should be managed by applying pressure with gauze, and a cold compress can help reduce facial swelling. If the tooth now has any jagged edges, we recommend covering them with some wax or a piece of sugarless gum to avoid accidentally damaging your lips, tongue, or gum tissue.

Knocked-Out Tooth

If you still have the tooth and are interested in possibly having it reimplanted, please keep in mind that this is typically only possible for an hour or so after the initial loss – that’s why contacting ProSmiles Dental & Orthodontics right away is so important! Ideally, we would like you to gently place the tooth back into its original socket and hold it there. If this can’t be safely accomplished, then carry it in a container of milk instead.

Lost Filling/Crown

Losing a dental restoration isn’t as severe an issue as the above emergencies, but it can still lead to painful sensitivity and pressure for the patient. It may be possible to reposition crowns with the help of some denture adhesive or dental cement – just ask for these products at your local pharmacy. Be sure to contact our office right away so that we can schedule an appointment to replace or reattach the filling/crown.

How to Prevent Dental Emergencies

• Remember to schedule a professional dental checkup and cleaning every six months, or twice each year. These visits will help our doctors catch any concerning damage in the earliest stages possible. Who knows – we may be able to stop the potential dental emergency of tomorrow in its tracks today!
• Use scissors or appropriate tools when opening packaging materials. Don’t resort to tearing through them with your teeth.
• Don’t chew on the solid ice in a cold drink. Additionally, we urge you to exercise caution when eating foods that are overly tough or sticky.
• Remember to wear an oral appliance as directed (preferably a custom-made one from our office) when playing sports with physical contact and/or if you know that you suffer from habitual teeth grinding.

The Cost of Treating Dental Emergencies

Solutions for dental emergencies can vary widely from person to person. Some symptoms may be easily treatable with a simple prescription for medication, while others could require an involved extraction, root canal therapy, or comprehensive tooth replacement. At your initial appointment, our dentists will focus on relieving any painful symptoms first before developing a custom treatment plan that matches your personal needs and circumstances. All cost information will be provided clearly and transparently, with no unexpected “surprises” to worry about. ProSmiles Dental & Orthodontics is happy to work with virtually all major dental insurances, and payment plans are available as well.

Emergency Dentistry FAQs

You can’t always stop a dental emergency from happening, but if you’re prepared for the worst at all times, you can give yourself a much better chance of saving your smile! Feel free to ask our dental experts any questions you have about emergency care so that you can make the right calls when it counts. To get you started, here are some concerns that many patients have raised in the past.

How Do I Know If It’s Really an Emergency?

Because “emergency” is such a broad category when it comes to dental care, it can sometimes be hard to tell what needs urgent attention and what doesn’t. In general, any issue that’s causing severe discomfort, sudden swelling or uncontrollable bleeding should be brought to your emergency dentist in White Settlement right away. We’ll always make an effort to see you on the same day whenever possible, even on Saturdays.

Even if you don’t think an oral health problem qualifies as an emergency, you should still have it treated as soon as possible. Small dental issues can quickly become large ones if left alone.

Do I Need to Go to the Emergency Room?

For cracked and broken teeth, you should generally turn to your dentist in White Settlement before calling the emergency room. We have the training and tools to address a wide variety of dental issues, so we’re more likely to be equipped to give you the efficient, effective care that you need, especially when the issue is time sensitive.

That said, you should call your local emergency room if you’re suffering from severe facial trauma that could be life-threatening. This can include a fractured or dislocated jaw, a severe cut on your face or mouth that’s causing a lot of bleeding, or anything that makes it difficult to breathe or swallow.

Are Toothaches an Emergency?

A toothache can have many different causes; some are extremely serious while others are relatively minor and easily resolved. For example, if there’s a popcorn kernel stuck between your teeth that’s causing discomfort, it’s likely that all you’ll need is some dental floss to solve the problem. On the other hand, many toothaches are the ultimate result of an infection; without a root canal or another treatment, you could eventually lose the tooth altogether. For this reason, you should make an appointment with us if a toothache lasts longer than two days or is causing excessive amounts of pain.

Will My Emergency Visit Be Covered by Insurance?

Everyone’s plan is different, and different procedures usually receive different levels of coverage. For example, many insurance carriers will pay 70% to 80% for a root canal but will only pay 50% for a dental crown. We’re happy work with you and your insurance companies to make sure you’re maximizing you’re benefits. ProSmiles is an in-network provider for many different PPO plans, but we also file claims for out-of-network plans, which will often have similar prices. We also offer CareCredit financing for patients without dental insurance.