Emergency Dentist – Montpelier, VT
Need Help? Call Us to Eliminate Dental Pain
Dental emergencies most likely happen when we least expect it, often at the most inconvenient times. Fortunately, you don’t need to panic and wonder where you’ll go for help. At River Station Family Dentistry, we are pleased to help address your oral injuries in a safe and comfortable environment. Using advanced solutions and compassionate care, we will minimize your discomfort before establishing a plan to improve your smile, so it is no longer damaged but instead, vibrant, healthy, and beautiful. Call us should you need immediate assistance from our trusted emergency dentist in Montpelier, VT.
Why Choose River Station Family Dentistry for Emergency Dentistry?
- Same-Day Emergency Appointments
- Dentists with Years of Clinical Experience and Training
- State-of-the-Art Dental Technology
How We Treat Dental Emergencies
- Call to schedule an appointment – When faced with a dental emergency, the first step you should take is to call our dental office. We’ll work to schedule a same-day appointment, if possible. We’ll also provide first-aid tips to use at home to better manage the pain.
- Thorough examination – When meeting with Dr. Hale, he will examine your mouth to determine the underlying issue as well as quickly address any discomfort you’re experiencing.
- Review findings – Once the examination is complete, our team will review our findings and formulate a personalized treatment plan. This will allow us to take care of your smile more accurately.
- Provide comprehensive treatment – Depending on the extent of your treatment, we’ll either begin the process immediately or schedule you to come in at a later date.
The Most Common Dental Emergencies
There are many common dental emergencies that our team can address. Even if you’re unsure whether the situation you are experiencing is an actual emergency, it’s always best to contact our dental office. We can survey the severity based on the information you provide and move forward most effectively so that your smile looks and feels better in the end.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Emergencies
No two dental emergencies are the same, even if two people knock out a tooth. It’s important that we see you for an appointment before we provide a cost estimate for your care. It is only after we evaluate your situation that we can determine how best to treat the problem and improve your oral health and smile aesthetics. Once we can accomplish this task, we will discuss your expected out-of-pocket expenses.
Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies
It is impossible to prevent all dental emergencies, but you can take steps to reduce your risk. An accidental fall while out hiking or biting into a hard piece of fruit may not be something you are prepared for, but there are things you can do to lower the potential for a visit to an emergency dental office. Whether it is swapping foods that are full of sugar and starch for healthier ones (fruit, vegetables, lean meats, etc.), wearing a mouthguard while playing sports, or even committing to seeing us every six months for dental visits, you can better safeguard your smile.
Tooth Extractions
Although tooth extractions will never be the first thing our team recommends, we may require them if there is a problem that cannot be addressed in any other way. Root canals, dental crowns, and dental fillings can often treat damaged or decayed teeth. However, if the problem is affecting the functionality of the tooth as well as its viability, the only solution might be to remove it and replace it with a dental bridge, partial denture, or dental implant.
Wisdom Tooth Extractions
Wisdom teeth are also referred to as third molars. Because they do not erupt until later in life (usually the late teens or early twenties), there is often less space available for them to push through the gumline. Many of these teeth can become impacted, causing pain and potential damage to nearby healthy tooth structures. By removing problematic wisdom teeth, we can generate additional space within the mouth while improving oral health for years to come.
Root Canal Treatment
When the pulp tissue in the center of your tooth becomes infected or damaged, root canal treatment becomes essential. There is a common misconception that these procedures cause a great deal of pain, but the truth is that they actually eliminate it by removing the infected tissues. In doing so, root canal treatment cleanses the structure while allowing it to remain firmly in place, preventing a possible tooth extraction later on. And to provide even greater stability, our team can place a customized dental crown over the vulnerable tooth structure.
Dental Emergency FAQs
Dental emergencies are one of those things you hope to never experience. If you do, however, it’s helpful to know as much as possible about what to do and where to turn. As always, our team at Montpelier is here to make getting the top-tier dental care you deserve as seamless as possible. If you want to continue your research online, then you’re also welcome to read on to learn the answers to some FAQs about emergency dentistry!
How should I sleep with tooth pain?
Remember, toothaches, even minor ones, warrant a call to our Montpelier dental office so we can make sure it’s not the result of an untreated oral health issue. If you have a few hours or days until your appointment and you need to sleep, however, then there are a few steps we recommend taking. First, don’t eat anything especially crunchy or hard before bed and take an over-the-counter pain reliever as directed. Second, keep your head elevated as you sleep (this will help prevent blood from rushing to the area and causing a lot of discomfort).
Should I visit the emergency room first for dental emergencies?
In dental emergencies, patients often think they should head to the ER right away. However, hospitals rarely have dentists on staff. As a result, the most they can do is alleviate your discomfort and then refer you back to your dentist for treatment. That’s why you should only go to the ER if you’re experiencing potentially life-threatening symptoms, like trouble swallowing, difficulty breathing, or uncontrollable bleeding.
My chipped tooth doesn’t hurt. Do I still need to visit?
Although pain is a common symptom of a dental emergency, it isn’t the only one. If you’ve chipped one of your teeth, then we recommend calling our Montpelier dental team and explaining your situation over the phone. From there, we can ask you a few questions and determine if same-day treatment is necessary. If it isn’t, then we will still schedule an appointment within a day or two so we can make sure your tooth isn’t at-risk of splitting further.
Should knocked-out teeth be placed in water?
No, a knocked-out tooth should not be placed in water. To preserve the root surface cells of the tooth, you should place it in a container filled with milk or saliva. You can also place it back in the now-open socket, but you should only do so if it slides into place without any force.
Are toothpicks safe to use?
Unfortunately, many patients use toothpicks to clean their teeth. This is not a safe dental habit. Not only can the sharp point result in a soft tissue injury, but the wood can splinter off, resulting in numerous problems. Plus, perhaps most importantly, swallowing a toothpick can be deadly. For all of these reasons, you should stick to using a toothbrush and floss to remove debris from your teeth.