Handling Dental Emergencies

Any physical emergency is enough to send you in a panic. Especially when you’ve pushed off signing up for insurance or simply can’t justify the cost. Dental emergencies or any health-related work with or without insurance tends to be costly, which is why we created a slew of easy payment options for our patients with and without health coverage.

49% of American adults who didn’t visit a dentist in the last year cited cost as the top reason. At Emergency Dental, we don’t want ‘emergency’ or ‘dental’ to frighten you out of a visit. It’s important to seek professional help regardless of potential costs. We give you plenty of room to be comfortable and flexible with your wallet and smile.

Take a look at what emergencies constitute a visit and payment options that are available to you through our care.

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Less Urgent Injuries

Cracked or broken teeth:

When you’ve chipped a tooth and it feels sensitive to touch or chewing, you might be due for some dental bonding. If you haven’t lost any pieces of your tooth, the urgency is a lot lower since you don’t have to worry about preservation of the live tooth pieces.

To temporarily soothe any pain you’re experiencing with a cracked tooth, start by flossing between the cracked tooth/teeth to remove any food particles that could cause infection. After flossing, rinse your mouth with warm (not hot) salt water; this will take care of any existing bacteria between the damaged areas. If you are waiting several days to get to a dentist, run to the pharmacy and purchase a sealant to cover the crack temporarily; this will keep any other foods or particles from re-entering the wound.

For natural healing, use small amounts of clove oil (found at natural grocers or pharmacies) to heal the pain. To apply, lightly soak a cotton ball with clove oil and blot the tissue below the cracked tooth with the cotton ball, hold the cotton ball on the affected area for 10 minutes and ensure you do not swallow any oils. Rinse and spit as needed to keep from consuming the product.

Loosened teeth:

Loosened adult teeth can be alarming. Perhaps your tooth is on its way out from wear and tear over the years, or maybe a deeper health issue is at hand. Either way, it’s best to have it checked out by a dentist as soon as possible to see what can be done. Unfortunately, healing options are limited but very simple. Make sure you keep the area clean of food or bacteria by brushing or flossing gently, gargling warm (not hot) salt water and eating soft foods only. Avoid chewing with the tooth or teeth that appear loose not to obstruct any further damages.

Tooth pain:

Aside from over the counter pain medications, there are a few neat at-home natural remedies you can try to soothe tooth pain while you wait to make it to the dentist. Mix equal parts ginger and cayenne pepper with water until a paste has formed. Pack the mixture onto a cotton ball and press onto the pained area (avoiding the tongue and gums if possible). When you feel a tingling burn, you know the product is working! If one or the other spice is too much, one or the other is likely to create a similar relieving effect for you.

Another natural remedy involves drinking tea; easy, right? Peppermint tea isn’t only delicious but has some numbing properties to it. Drinking a peppermint tea, or if you don’t like the taste, swishing (like you would mouthwash or salt water), and spitting it out will help reduce pain and swelling for a while. Black tea is another great healing tea for occasions like this. Take a soaked black tea bag and place it directly on the affected tooth for temporary soothing and relief.

Read more emergency dental first aid tips!

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Injuries Requiring Immediate Care

If you knock out a permanent tooth, dislocate your jaw, experience excessive bleeding, dizziness, difficulty breathing, severe pain, or disorientation, you need to be rushed to an emergency room or an urgent care center to be seen. These situations aren’t to be left to take care of the next day as they could worsen significantly depending on the damage.

Learn more about general costs to these common dental procedures.

Cost should never be the reason you stop and think here. At emergency dental, we make it very simple to pay for emergency procedures, so you don’t have to stop and contemplate the need for care.

Handling dental emergencies is made simple at Emergency Dental, with no credit checks, little or no money down, affordable monthly rates to accommodate your needs, and CareCredit options. Don’t compromise your smile, come talk to us about your worries, inquiries, and potential payment options for necessary procedures!

Dr. Roberto Monteagudo

Dr. Roberto Monteagudo is an expert in advanced dentistry, full mouth reconstruction, neuromuscular dentistry and sedation dentistry. He attended the Las Vegas Institute of Advanced Dental Studies from 1999 to 2006 and graduated from Marquette University, School of Dentistry in 1990. Dr. Monteagudo speaks frequently throughout the Wisconsin area on advancements in dentistry and patient education. Dr. Roberto Monteagudo lives in Milwaukee with his lovely wife, Gina, and their seven children whom they make a top priority. He also enjoys outdoor activities and is deeply committed to giving back to his community through charitable events. His warmth and caring combined with his commitment to patient comfort through sedation dentistry, leading edge, gentle, and non-invasive technologies is the reason that his patients travel long distances to see him.