Emergency Dentistry – Dallas, TX

What to Do in a Dental Emergency

When a dental emergency strikes, your first thought might be to start panicking. However, we encourage you to do your best to remain calm! Here’s what to do if you find yourself in a dental emergency:

• Give our dental office a call: Your first order of business should be calling our dental office to schedule an appointment. We’ll get you in as soon as possible, typically within the same day you call us.
• Get an emergency exam with Dr. Barnett: Barnett will examine your mouth as soon as you arrive at our dental office. We’ll help you feel more comfortable and minimize any pain you’re experiencing to the best of our abilities as we take X-rays and examine the damage.
• Review the findings and make a plan: Based on Dr. Barnett’s diagnosis and our findings, we can create a treatment plan for how to best relieve your pain and get your oral health back on track.
• Get the care you need: As soon as you and Dr. Barnett have agreed on a treatment plan, we’ll get to work preserving your smile and getting you out of discomfort. You’ll always know all the details of your treatment before committing to it, including the estimated length and price.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

Of course, not every dental injury or sensation is immediately identifiable as an emergency. If you’re unsure whether or not your situation is urgent, please reach out to your emergency dentist so that she and our team members can advise you. Whether you are dealing with a serious toothache in Dallas or chronic jaw pain, you can also consult the list below, which contains situations that we regularly see as emergency cases.

Understanding the Cost of Dental Emergencies

Not every accident results in the same type or severity of oral damage, which is why there’s no set cost for dental emergencies in Dallas. Our team will never leave you in the dark and always make sure that you understand the price of your treatment before you commit to receiving it. If you have any questions during your visit, don’t hesitate to ask our team!

Read More

The Treatment You Need Depends on Your Diagnosis

A good, general rule-of-thumb is that less invasive treatments like cavity fillings or cosmetic bonding will cost less than more serious procedures, including tooth extractions and root canal therapy. As soon as our team comes up with the right treatment plan for you, we’ll provide you with estimated costs beforehand so you know exactly what you can expect.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?

Most dental insurance plans offer coverage for dental emergency treatments, but not every plan is made equal. The best way to learn whether your insurance provider will cover your emergency treatment is to contact them directly. During your appointment, our team will be more than happy to assist you in any way we can to make your visit as stress-free as possible.

Other Options for Making Dental Emergencies Affordable

Our team is happy to offer additional financing and payment options to make receiving treatment from an emergency dentist near Lakewood as easy as possible. We offer a simple, easy-to-navigate in-house membership plan that provides discounts for a variety of services as well as additional financing through trusted, third-party financers like CareCredit and Lending Club.

Save Money with Preventive Care

Many dental emergencies aren’t preventable and happen because of accidents, like falling off of a bike or cracking your tooth by biting down on a hard piece of candy. However, by being mindful of what you put in your mouth and keeping up with regular preventive dental care, you can drastically reduce your risk of experiencing a dental emergency. For example, if you grind your teeth at night, you can avoid breaking a tooth by investing in a nightguard for bruxism, or you can make an effort to stay on-top of your bi-annual checkups and cleanings to minimize your risk of a dental infection. Taking these precautionary measures could save you thousands of dollars and so much stress over the years!

Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies

Millions of Americans end up needing urgent dental care every year. Some of the situations cannot be avoided, such as sudden accidents. If you take the right precautionary measures, however, you can greatly reduce your risk of a dental emergency ruining your day. Below, you’ll find five keys to preventing dental emergencies, all of which are incredibly easy!

Read More

Visit Our Dental Office Regularly

As you read this, a dental emergency could be developing in your mouth without even knowing it! That’s because tooth infections, cracks, and cavities can all form and worsen before you feel any discomfort or notice a visible difference in your smile. For that reason, visiting our dental office for routine checkups every six months is one of the easiest ways to prevent dental emergencies in Dallas. At these appointments, Dr. Barnett will be able to spot potential emergencies in their earliest stages and address them right away. This saves you money and time in the long run!

Maintain Good Oral Hygiene at Home

Between regular checkups and cleanings, another way to avoid dental emergencies is to maintain good at-home oral hygiene habits. Infrequent brushing or forgetting to floss allows plaque and tartar, which are chock-full of harmful bacteria, to build up on your gums and teeth. You’d then have a higher risk of tooth decay and gum disease, both of which can cause painful dental emergencies. To minimize these risks, be sure to brush twice a day for two minutes at a time, floss at least once each day, and rinse with antibacterial mouthwash on a regular basis.

Stick to a Nutritious Diet

You’re probably already aware that eating too much sugar will give you cavities. However, sugary treats aren’t the only foods you need to limit if you want to avoid dental emergencies. Starchy foods break down into sugar in the mouth, making them just as harmful as candy. Hard foods like nuts can also be dangerous, as they could chip or crack your tooth enamel. Keep your consumption of these foods in moderation. Also, make sure to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, which contain vitamins and minerals that keep your teeth and gums healthy.

Wear a Mouthguard

Tooth enamel is impressively strong, but sudden impact or prolonged pressure can still cause it to fracture. If you play a sport that comes with the risk of taking a blow to the face, talk to Dr. Barnett about getting a custom mouthguard to shield your pearly whites. On the same note, if you wake up with a sore jaw, then ask us about a nightguard. This comfortable oral appliance protects your teeth from becoming worn down by chronic teeth grinding.

Don’t Use Your Teeth as Tools

Your teeth are perfectly designed for chewing food and not much else. Using them to open a bottle or a package might seem like a simple way to save time, but you could easily end up with a chipped tooth, scratched gums, or some other oral injury. Then, you’d have to spend more time at our emergency dental office near Lake Highlands than you would have spent had you reached for the correct tool in the first place! Avoid the temptation to use your teeth as tools by always keeping the right ones handy.

Dental Emergency Frequently Asked Questions

While we sincerely hope that you never have to deal with a dental emergency of any sort, we know that life doesn’t always go according to plan. That’s why we want to help our patients feel as prepared as possible should one of these scary situations arise. Below, you’ll find a list of some of the most common dental emergency FAQs we receive regularly so you can learn more. If you don’t see the answers you’re looking for, don’t hesitate to give us a call right away!

Read More

Should I Go to the Hospital for a Dental Emergency?

In most cases, no. Many emergency room doctors are unable to address the root cause of a dental problem. After all, only a dentist can perform dental work, and not every ER or urgent care center has a dentist on staff. Instead, they’ll often write you a prescription for painkillers or antibiotics and refer you to a dentist. Save yourself time and money by calling our dental office first.

The only time you should go to the hospital for a dental emergency is if your condition is also life-threatening. A broken/fractured jaw or uncontrollable bleeding needs medical attention right away. After you’ve gotten the immediate problem under control, schedule an appointment with us. We can make sure there are no underlying issues that need to be addressed.

How Do I Manage Dental Pain At Home?

In addition to applying a cold compress, over-the-counter pain relievers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen are great ways to temporarily relieve your discomfort until you can reach our dental office. However, try to avoid taking aspirin. If it comes into direct contact with the sore area, it can irritate your gums and worsen your pain.

It’s worth noting that even if you can deal with the pain at home, you should still call us promptly. After taking a look at your mouth, we can determine the root cause of the pain and prevent it from arising again in the future.

How Can I Bring Down Swelling in My Face or Mouth?

An easy way to reduce swelling is to wrap an ice pack in a cloth towel and hold it against your face for 10 minutes. Then, remove it for another 10 minutes. Repeating this process for up to an hour at a time can minimize swelling as well as pain.

How Do I Prepare for a Dental Emergency?

To lessen the stress of a future dental emergency, it helps to create one or more emergency kits and store them in easily accessible areas, like your bathroom, your car, or your desk at work. Include the following items:

• Latex-free gloves
• A small bottle of ibuprofen
• Gauze pads
• Dental mirror
• Handkerchief
• Our contact information
• Small container that has a tight lid

Will My Toothache Go Away on its Own?

In most cases, a toothache will not vanish on its own. Since it can be caused by a variety of reasons, you’ll want to see your dentist sooner rather than later so they can help rule out the potential causes. If it’s due to an infection in the tooth, it can end up damaging the inner nerves, making you unable to feel pain where the bacteria are. By visiting your dentist for a checkup, they can detect underlying problems that need to be addressed before they can worsen. In some instances, discomfort or pain around the tooth that’s due to something like irritation in the gums might go away after some time. Still, it's best to be certain by scheduling a dental visit.

What Does Throbbing Tooth Pain Mean?

If you’re experiencing throbbing pain in your tooth, it could likely be a sign of an infection or inflammation inside of it. Cracks or cavities within the tooth can end up allowing air and bacteria to access the inner sensitive area, such as the pulp. This can lead to irritation and possible infection of the nerves, resulting in moderate to severe pain. Decay is also a likely candidate for causing discomfort, as well as chronic teeth grinding and clenching during the night. In either case, make sure to see your dentist for help.

My Chipped Tooth Doesn’t Hurt. Do I Still Need to Visit?

Even if you’ve chipped your tooth and it doesn’t seem to hurt you, you’ll want to schedule an appointment with your dentist. Though no pain or discomfort may be present, a dental professional will need to confirm if the inner layers of your tooth haven’t been exposed to harmful bacteria. That said, you might be okay with waiting a day or two if necessary, but be sure to call your dentist for a visit soon after the incident. After all, chipped teeth can start to break even more if they aren’t properly addressed with dental treatment.

What is Causing My Jaw Pain?

One of the biggest causes of jaw pain is chronic teeth grinding and clenching, as this places excessive stress on the jaw joints. In other cases, jaw discomfort can be a result of arthritis in the area or even facial or jaw injuries that never healed properly. A misalignment in the jaw can lead to TMJ disorder (TMD), which is a condition that negatively impacts the joints connecting the jaw to the skull. By visiting your dentist, they can help verify the source of your jaw discomfort and create a treatment plan for providing relief in the long run.