Dental Emergency

Common Reasons for Seeking Urgent Dental Care

When you have kids, you’ve collected the phone numbers of health care providers you may need in a hurry. And when your youngsters already know their family dentist, an emergency call won’t be as frightening. Even when you or another adult in your family experiences a fall or accident that leaves you with tooth or jaw pain,  it’s ideal to visit Dr. Adam Shoukry, who already knows your medical and dental history and can get right to the treatment you need.

Conditions that commonly create a dental emergency include:

• Broken, fractured, or chipped teeth. Weekend warriors and part-time athletes, young or old, may find themselves dealing with dental injuries in the evening or during a weekend. Even driving puts you at risk when you get behind the wheel. Cold compresses keep the swelling down and reduce the pain until you reach your Rockville Centre, NY dentist’s office. When you call, ask which over-the-counter pain relievers you can take in the meantime, as some contribute to bleeding. Place any tooth fragments you’ve managed to salvage in a container of milk and bring it with you.
• Dislodged or severely damaged teeth. Although your dentist always tries to save your natural tooth, some injuries make this impossible. If an injury causes your tooth to dislodge or come out completely, carefully rinse your mouth in warm salt water and visit your emergency dentist quickly. Bring the tooth in with you, making sure to keep it soaked in milk or saliva. After cleaning the area and removing any remaining chips, your family dentist, who also practices cosmetic dentistry, advises you on a course of treatment to either save the tooth or replace it.
• Cavities or damage to the root or nerve pulp. If left untreated, cavities work deeper into the tooth until they affect the root of the tooth. When decay reaches the pulp that holds the tooth’s nerve, the pain may develop suddenly. Cold compresses, over-the-counter medication, and swabbing the area with clove oil help control the pain until you can see Adam Shoukry, your emergency dentist in Rockville Centre, NY.

How We Can Help You

Our caring and knowledgeable dental team can provide expert advice over the phone to help you cope with the emergency in the short term until you can get to the dental office to see Dr. Adam Shoukry. When you see our dentist, he can gently examine your mouth, diagnose the reason and provide emergency toothache relief or other appropriate care that will quickly help you feel more comfortable. You will probably need a follow-up visit for restorative dentistry.

Some situations require urgent dental care, and prompt treatment could make all the difference between saving and losing a tooth, while other circumstances don’t need such immediate treatment. We’ve listed some of the most common dental emergencies below and useful advice on coping with the problem in the short term.

Emergency Toothache Relief

The pain of toothache can be excruciating and may occur as a continually throbbing sensation or discomfort whenever you try to bite or chew on the affected tooth. Initially, try gently flossing around the tooth in case there is impacted food that is slightly dislodging the tooth and causing discomfort. This can be enough to cause toothache.

If this doesn’t help, please contact us immediately to schedule an urgent dental care appointment. In the meantime, you can take over-the-counter painkillers to relieve the discomfort, but you should never place painkillers or aspirin directly on the gum nearest the tooth as this could burn the gum.

It is especially important to seek toothache treatment because it can often indicate a dental infection, where the inner part of the tooth, the tooth nerve, is inflamed and infected. Sometimes the pain may disappear, so you might think the infection has cleared up on its own, but it is more likely that the tooth nerve has died. A dental infection cannot clear up without proper professional dental care, and the sooner you come to see us, the more likely we can save the infected tooth.

When you come to see us for emergency dental care, we can gently examine the tooth, diagnose the reason for your toothache and provide immediate pain relief.

Dental Abscess

When a tooth infection isn’t properly treated, the infection can spread into the tooth root and the bone and gum around the tooth. By this stage, the gum around the tooth will most likely look very red and swollen and could feel tender to touch. It could also have a pimple that feels painful if you touch it, and this is where pus created by the infection is trying to escape.

An abscess is a dental emergency because the infection can spread to the rest of your body in rare cases.

It’s especially important to seek urgent dental care if you:

• Feel unwell
• Have facial swelling
• Develop a fever

If you can’t get to see us immediately, you must go to the nearest emergency room.

While we will try to save your tooth after a dental abscess, this isn’t always possible. Sometimes we need to remove the tooth to drain the infection, and when this is the case, we can talk to you about suitable replacements, perhaps, for example, having a dental implant once the infection has cleared up.

Chipped and Cracked Teeth

Have you bitten down on something hard and felt your tooth chip or crumble away? It’s a common problem, and it does require urgent dental care. When you chip or crack a tooth, the outer part of the tooth, the tooth enamel, is compromised.

Tooth enamel protects the tooth, but when it is breached, harmful bacteria can easily enter the inner part of your tooth. A minor chip or crack in a tooth can develop into a severe infection when left untreated.

Often a chipped or cracked tooth is easily mended with a dental filling or by bonding the damaged area with tooth-colored composite resin, invisibly mending your tooth and restoring its strength and appearance.

More serious cracks or chips in a tooth may require a dental crown. The crown covers the entire tooth, providing maximum protection while restoring its appearance, strength, and structure.

Partially or Completely Knocked-out Tooth

Dental injuries can occur because of trauma, often during a sporting accident, and unfortunately, we see many people who have partially or completely knocked out teeth every year. When this is the case, you need to act quickly to try and save the tooth.

If you have completely knocked out your tooth, you need to:

• Retrieve the tooth holding it by the crown, the part you could normally see in your mouth.
• Rinse off any visible dirt but don’t scrub the tooth root. Any fragments of tissue must remain intact.
• Try reinserting the tooth, pushing it gently back into the socket, and ensuring it faces the right way around.

Otherwise, place the tooth in a small cup of milk or with some water and a pinch of salt and come and see us immediately. Alternatively, you can keep the tooth in your cheek, taking care not to swallow it.

When we can reinsert a tooth within an hour after the accident, there is a reasonable chance we can save it. Even if it has been longer since the accident, it’s still worth coming to see us as soon as you can so we can try and save the tooth.

If you have a tooth that is partially avulsed, where it has been dislodged, you also need to come and see us immediately. We can check the tooth carefully to make sure it is salvageable and will most likely splint it to the adjacent teeth to help hold it in position while the tooth heals.

Lost Filling

Aging fillings can crumble away or are sometimes dislodged when you eat anything very sticky or crunchy.

Whatever the reason, it’s important to replace a lost filling quickly as otherwise harmful bacteria can easily enter the cavity, causing infection and decay. You may notice the tooth in question feels more sensitive whenever you eat anything very hot or cold.

Replacing the filling helps protect and preserve your tooth and ensures you feel more comfortable. In the meantime, you can insert a small piece of sugar-free gum into the cavity to help protect the tooth.

Lost Dental Crown

If the crown comes loose, save it and bring it to your appointment.

Sometimes we can clean a crown and recement it back in place. Otherwise, we can talk to you about a new crown.
Please do not try to re-cement the crown yourself, especially using household glue, as these can irrevocably damage your teeth and the crown.

Why Choose South Nassau Dental Arts for Emergency Dental Services?

• Our dentists are experienced in treating all types of dental emergencies, including extractions, root canals, dental repair, and more, striving to be a one-stop destination for urgent dental needs.
• We use the latest technology to provide our patients with the best possible care.
• We provide flexible scheduling and extended hours, making it convenient for patients to seek emergency care, even during evenings or weekends.
• If follow-up or specialized treatment is needed, South Nassau Dental Arts can provide ongoing dental care to ensure the best outcome for your dental emergency.
• Located in Rockville Centre, New York, our clinic is accessible to residents of the area, ensuring that those needing urgent dental care can quickly reach the facility.
• We accept most insurance plans.

If you are experiencing a dental emergency, please call South Nassau Dental Arts at (516) 763-4500. We will schedule an appointment as soon as possible.