Aching, broken, or knocked-out teeth can be nerve-wracking to say the least. If you’re dealing with a dental emergency, you need prompt care, and our dental team at My Dentist Midtown is here to provide that! We try our utmost to see emergency dental patients the same day they call, so rest assured we’ll give you the peace of mind and pain relief you need during an urgent situation. Don’t hesitate to call us to schedule an urgent dental care visit with our gentle emergency dentist in Tulsa, OK!
Why Choose My Dentist Midtown for Emergency Dentistry?
Same-Day Appointments for Dental Emergencies
Calming Sedation Dentistry Options Available
Insurance-Friendly Dental Office
How We Treat Dental Emergencies
No matter what type of dental emergency you’re facing, the first thing you should do is call our dental office as soon as you can; our team will take it from there! Here are the steps we’ll follow to handle the situation:
Over the phone, we’ll ask you questions about your symptoms to determine how quickly you need to be seen. Then, we’ll schedule an appointment accordingly. We can also give you tips for reducing your discomfort until then.
When you arrive at our dental office, Dr. Flinchum will conduct a detailed exam to pinpoint the source of the problem. In addition to capturing any necessary X-rays, she’ll work to get you out of any immediate pain.
Following the exam, Dr. Flinchum will share her findings with you and recommend a treatment plan to eliminate your symptoms. You’ll also be given an estimated cost and timeline for your care. Then, we’ll get to work to quickly address the issue and prevent it from coming back in the future.
The Most Common Dental Emergencies
With so many possible dental problems that can occur, it can sometimes be difficult to tell what constitutes as
a “real” emergency. Even if your situation doesn’t seem like a big deal, we urge you to call
us just to be on the safe side. Our team can handle a variety of dental emergencies, including the following:
Once we have figured out the kind of treatment you’ll need, we can start discussing the cost of your emergency care. Of course, the number we give you won’t be the same as another patient’s; after all, “dental emergency” can refer to many different kinds of situations. We’ll be sure to explain how we arrived at our estimate. Also, if you’re worried about your out-of-pocket costs, we can review the financial options that are available at our practice in Tulsa.
Every Dental Emergency is Different
It simply isn’t possible to put a price on emergency dental care without first knowing what the emergency is. Severity matters as well; sometimes an issue like tooth decay can be resolved with a simple filling, but a root canal might be needed in more advanced cases. We’ll have a better idea of what your treatment will cost after we’ve figured out what your smile needs.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?
Dental insurance policies usually pay for one emergency exam each year. As for the actual treatment, your coverage may vary based on the policy you have. Coverage for restorative procedures that may be part of your emergency treatment plan will usually fall between 50% and 80%.
Our team will gladly review the fine print of your dental insurance plan with you, and we can handle the claim-filing process for you. Delta Dental, Cigna, Guardian, Humana, and MetLife are just a few examples of the plans that our practice accepts.
Other Options for Making Dental Emergencies Affordable
Not everyone has dental insurance, but when a dental emergency strikes, you can’t avoid professional care for too long without putting your smile at serious risk. So what can you do if you don’t have a dental insurance plan? Our team is here to help you figure out the best answer to that question.
One approach is to sign up for a financing plan courtesy of CareCredit. Sometimes the full cost of care might be too much for your budget if you try to pay it all at once, but you can simplify things by breaking it into smaller installments instead. And with CareCredit, the interest rate on your plan will often be very low – and in certain cases, there might not be any interest period.
Taking Care of Your Smile Can Save You Money
Good oral hygiene and other preventive measures can help lower your chances of experiencing a dental emergency. You could potentially save hundreds – perhaps even thousands – of dollars on urgent dental care simply by not needing such treatment in the first place.
Of course, you can’t expect to be able to avoid every dental issue. However, if you do notice a problem with your smile, there is still a strategy you can use to try and save money: visit your dentist immediately. The sooner you make an appointment, the less likely you are to need more complex treatments that tend to have higher costs.
Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies
Most dental emergencies occur seemingly out of the blue, so it can be hard to prepare for them in advance. However,
reducing your chances of experiencing one is possible as long as you take some basic precautions. Read on to learn
five that our Tulsa emergency dentist recommends!
Prioritize Your Biannual Checkups and Cleanings
There are several ways your routine visits to our office help reduce your chances of experiencing a dental
emergency. To begin, we conduct an oral exam at each visit to find cavities, gum disease, and other serious oral
health issues in the early stages (before they warrant a same-day appointment). Furthermore, the
cleaning portion allows us to clean the hard-to-reach areas of your mouth, removing stubborn plaque and built-up
tartar along the way. This process can feel tedious, but it goes a long way in preventing decay and infections
from developing.
Commit to Good Oral Hygiene At Home
Each day, you need to take proactive measures to keep your teeth and gums healthy. Otherwise, they will slowly
decay, leaving you vulnerable to substantial chips, cracks, and fractures. To prevent that from happening, use a
soft-bristled toothbrush and toothpaste with fluoride to brush your teeth each morning and evening (or after
each meal, if possible). You should also consistently floss and rinse with mouthwash since this will help
prevent plaque buildup as well as gum disease.
Stick to a Nutritious Diet
In short, if your diet is filled with loads of added sugar, your teeth won’t be their healthiest. To help
reduce your chances of experiencing tooth decay, do your best to stick to well-balanced meals that are filled
with nutrient-dense foods. Zero-sugar yogurt, oatmeal, and scrambled eggs are a few examples of foods that are
delicious, satiating, and good for your smile!
Wear a Mouthguard
Sports accidents are one of the number one causes of knocked-out teeth. A rogue ball or accidental elbow to your
jaw can also result in a cracked, chipped, or loose tooth, which is why it’s of the utmost importance that
you protect your smile with a mouthguard. We can provide you with a custom one so you don’t have to rely
on the one-size-fits-all sportsguards that are bulky and uncomfortable too!
Use Tools to Open Packages, Not Your Teeth
Your teeth may be sharp, but they aren’t tools. No matter how tempting it might be, you should never use
your teeth to open a package, bottle cap, or the like. This is a recipe for a cracked tooth, which cannot be
saved if the damage is too extensive. So, always use the right tools instead. It may take a few extra minutes,
but it will save you from a dental emergency.
Is my toothache a dental emergency? Yes, receiving emergency dental care for a toothache is important, as this type of pain can be caused by many different oral health issues. The level of severity will vary, so it’s important that we identify the underlying problem as soon as possible.
Toothaches can form as a result of a cavity, a cracked tooth, tooth sensitivity, sinus congestion, an infection, a lodged piece of food, or even gum disease.
How you should handle a toothache: You’ll want to make sure that you rinse out your mouth with warm water so that no debris remains behind. You can use dental floss to gently remove any lodged piece of food between your teeth. If necessary, you can take an over-the-counter pain reliever but do not put aspirin directly onto the aching tooth or gums, as this can be harmful.
How we treat toothaches: Treating your toothache will first require digital imaging to determine where the problem exists. Being able to see below the gumline is essential. Depending on the reason for your tooth pain, we may suggest an array of treatment options, such as antibiotics, a tooth-colored filling, a dental crown, root canal therapy, periodontal therapy, or tooth extraction.
Is a chipped tooth a dental emergency? It’s unlikely that you will need same-day care for a chipped tooth; however, you do not want to put off treatment for weeks. Instead, it’s best to go ahead and call our office to schedule an appointment. Even if you have a small chip in your tooth, failing to seek treatment in a timely manner will only cause it to worsen over time.
How you should handle a chipped tooth: Make sure to immediately rinse out your mouth with warm water. This will clean the area and prevent any debris from being ingested. You can then place a cold compress on your face so that swelling will lessen, and discomfort will be alleviated.
How we treat chipped teeth: The most common way to treat a chipped tooth, especially a minor case, is with cosmetic dental bonding. We can usually use the composite resin to hide the chip and restore your smile. However, if the chip is larger or appears toward the front area of your smile (the more visible area), we can discuss the option of custom veneers to improve the look and feel of your smile.
Is a cracked tooth a dental emergency? If you have minor damage, this is not considered urgent; however, a severely cracked tooth will need to be treated right away. Failing to do so can result in more serious injury to your smile as a whole. Also, since some cracks are not visible, it’s possible to develop tooth sensitivity or pain when you bite down.
How you should handle a cracked tooth: Be sure to rinse out your mouth with warm water to thoroughly clean the area before applying a cold compress to your face. This will help keep any swelling down and alleviate any discomfort you might feel. It’s also best to avoid chewing on that side of your mouth with the cracked tooth.
How we treat cracked teeth: Treating a cracked tooth requires that we identify the location of the crack and its severity. If only minor, we may be able to treat it with cosmetic dental bonding. Otherwise, if the crack is major, the tooth may be unable to support itself, which means that we will need to have a customized dental crown crafted to protect it from future harm.
Are Very Sensitive Teeth a Dental Emergency? There are several potential causes of dental sensitivity, some of which require more immediate attention than others. It could be due to weakened enamel from aggressive overbrushing or an overly acidic diet, or something more serious, like an infected tooth or gum disease, that requires professional intervention.
How You Should Handle Very Sensitive Teeth: It’s best to call us sooner rather than later so we can help. Then, you can try rinsing with lukewarm salt water to keep your mouth free of food particles and bacteria. Also, avoid eating anything overly spicy, acidic, sweet, hot, or hard that could irritate your already tender teeth.
How We Treat Very Sensitive Teeth: The solution for sensitive teeth depends on the underlying cause. If it’s due to thinning enamel, a topical fluoride treatment and switching to a desensitizing toothpaste might address it. Other more serious issues require different procedures, like gum disease therapy or a root canal, to resolve.
Is My Knocked-Out Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes, losing a permanent adult tooth is considered urgent. You should contact us for a same-day appointment because you’ll need to act quickly to have a chance of restoring it.
How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Tooth: First, try to find the tooth. When you do, only handle it by the crown (the tooth-shaped portion) and not the root because you might damage still-viable cells. Then, store it in a container with a small amount of milk or saliva to keep it moist until you arrive at our office.
How We Treat Knocked-Out Teeth: If your tooth is in good condition, we may be able to reimplant it in its socket. In time, it will reintegrate with your jawbone and function normally once again. If it’s overly damaged or cannot be saved, we will recommend an appropriate replacement method like dental bridges, implants, or dentures.
Is a Lost Filling or Crown a Dental Emergency? Generally speaking, restorations like dental fillings and crowns aren’t intended to be everlasting, which means losing them doesn’t always constitute an emergency. However, the underlying tooth is vulnerable to injury or infection if it’s not treated, so you should contact us immediately to prevent potential problems.
How You Should Handle a Lost Filling or Crown: Try to find the filling or crown so that you can bring it with you to your appointment. For dental crowns, you might be able to gently place it back over your tooth with a small dollop of toothpaste or dental cement, though this isn’t recommended for fillings.
How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns: If your restoration is relatively new and is still in good condition after falling out, we might be able to effectively recement it in place. Otherwise, we’ll work on providing you with a new filling or crown.
While a broken denture is not the most urgent dental emergency, you should still seek treatment as soon as your circumstances allow. After all, your denture plays an important role in enabling you to eat and speak!
How to Handle a Broken Denture
Do not try to repair the denture on your own, and do not attempt to wear a broken denture. Instead, store your denture somewhere secure and bring it with you to your dental appointment.
How We Treat Broken Dentures
In some cases, we are able to repair dentures in-house. In other instances, we might need to send them to a trustworthy laboratory. If the damage is particularly severe, you might need to invest in a completely new denture. We may suggest that you take the opportunity to upgrade to implant-supported tooth replacement.
Whether it is due to gum disease, an accident, or other causes, a loose permanent tooth is an urgent dental emergency. Without prompt treatment, you might end up losing the tooth altogether!
How You Should Handle a Loose Permanent Tooth
Avoid doing anything that might cause the tooth to become even looser. For example, you should not use it to chew, brush it aggressively, or wiggle it with your tongue or fingers.
How We Treat Loose Permanent Teeth
We might be able to save the tooth by splinting it back into place. However, there is also a chance that we will need to completely remove it. Later, you may be eligible for a dental implant or other forms of tooth replacement.
Is an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue a Dental Emergency?
Soft tissue injuries in the mouth can bleed a lot and be alarming. Our dental team may be able to help you get the situation under control.
How You Should Handle an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue
Gently clean the area, and then use a clean washcloth or a piece of gauze to apply pressure to the wound. An ice pack can reduce swelling. If the bleeding is severe and does not stop within 10 minutes, you may need to visit the local emergency room.
How We Treat Injuries to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue
We can clean the wound and stitch it closed. We will also examine your mouth to look for signs of damage to other tissues in your mouth.
Jaw Pain
Is Jaw Pain a Dental Emergency?
Jaw pain can have numerous causes, some of which require urgent treatment.
How You Should Handle Jaw Pain
If you believe your jaw is broken or dislocated, visit the local emergency department. Otherwise, give us a call and describe your symptoms. We may advise you to visit us for an appointment or use at-home remedies until it is more convenient for you to visit us. For example, a cold compress and a soft diet may help.
How We Treat Jaw Pain
You might need something simple, such as a mouthguard to prevent teeth grinding. Or, you may need wisdom tooth extraction or other types of treatment, such as TMJ therapy. After a thorough assessment, we will be able to recommend your next steps.
Something Stuck Between the Teeth
Having something stuck between your teeth can be truly annoying! Do not use a toothpick, tweezers, or a knife in an attempt to get the object out of your mouth; you might accidentally hurt yourself! Instead, swish vigorously with warm water to try to dislodge the item. You can also try floss. Tie a knot in it, insert it between your teeth, and use the knot to try to knock the object out of place. If your attempts to remove it prove to be unsuccessful, give us a call. We will do all we can to assist you.
