Emergency Dentist Charlotte
We’re Here to Deliver the Immediate Care You Need
When dealing with a dental emergency, finding a dentist you can trust to treat the problem might not always be so easy. We want to change that. Dr. Gordon-Holt and Dr. Shah offer same-day emergency dentistry in Charlotte for individuals experiencing chipped, cracked, knocked-out teeth as well as lost dental fillings and crowns, sensitive teeth, and even soft tissue injuries. We encourage you to call our dental office for help should you discover that you are experiencing a dental emergency.
Why Choose Holt Family Dentistry for Emergency Dentistry?
- Dentist Who Gives Back by Treating VA Patients in Pain
- Same-Day Dental Appointments Available
- Sedation Dentistry for Anxious Patients
How We Treat Dental Emergencies
When it comes to a dental emergency, you must first begin by calling our office to inquire about an appointment. Your explanation of the situation will help us to determine how quickly you should come in. We’ll examine your teeth and problem area using digital imaging before visually evaluating the status of your mouth. Once we determine the underlying cause of your injury, we’ll craft a treatment plan that you can review. When ready, we will begin to fix the problem and restore your smile to its natural beauty.
The Most Common Dental Emergencies
There are many different types of dental emergencies that our dental practice can treat. Although some might seem more minor than others, the reality is that if you are in pain, you shouldn’t wait to call and seek professional help. In the meantime, feel free to view the list of common injuries we can treat and what you can do to minimize further harm at home.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Emergencies
As much as you may need emergency dentistry, you must learn its price before you commit. Opting for a treatment you can’t afford won’t do you (or your smile) much good. Still, the cost of urgent dental care varies; only your emergency dentist in Charlotte can give you an exact estimate. We’ll also walk you through price factors, dental insurance, and other factors to make your care more affordable. For further details, please keep reading or call us soon.
Every Dental Emergency is Different
An urgent dental visit isn’t costly; it only charges you for the initial oral exam and diagnosis. Instead, the bulk of a dental emergency’s expense comes from the later treatment. That means you’ll need to see us in person for a precise estimate.
Depending on your smile, we’ll suggest one (or more) of our emergency services. These include:
- Root Canal Therapy
- Tooth Extraction
- Dental Crowns
- Other Options
Rest assured that our team is highly skilled and knowledgeable. You can trust them to offer correct findings, a recommended treatment plan, and estimated procedure costs. That way, you’ll know what to expect from us.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?
In general, dental insurance does cover dental emergencies. Most plans will even provide full coverage for yearly oral exams, with many applying benefits to common services. It’s fairly standard for an insurance provider to help with a dental emergency’s cost.
Of course, even dental plans can differ from each other. There’s a chance your own follows unique rules or brings yearly maximums into the mix. Given that fact, you should check your plan’s benefits before you confirm your final treatment; we’ll even help you contact your plan provider.
Other Options for Making Dental Emergencies Affordable
Even if you lack dental insurance, your dental emergency can still be affordable. It’s just a matter of relying on Holt Family Dentistry’s helpful payment options! With the right one, your urgent problem can become budget-friendly.
In particular, you could consider our flexible financing service. This option lets you work with CareCredit – a 3rd party lender – to pay for care in monthly installments. By taking that approach, you could cover your emergency costs slowly and steadily.
Smile Care is a Money-Saver
Though many dental emergencies are sudden and accidental, most result from bacterial infections. You could save thousands of dollars by preventing them with routine dental visits and good at-home oral hygiene.
Remember, delaying care for a dental emergency is quite expensive. Putting it off will only make treatment more complex, raising its price as a result. What could’ve been a low-cost fix for a toothache may become a rather costly tooth extraction.
In the end, dental emergency care can fit your budget. All you need to do is visit us – we’ll gladly help you finance it!
How to Prevent Dental Emergencies
It’s always easier and a wiser choice to prevent dental emergencies before they happen. Investing your time and money in regular oral health checkups and healthy habits can save you a lot of energy and hassle later on by minimizing your risk of a dental emergency.
Visit Your Dentist Regularly
Visiting Holt Family Dentistry twice a year for your regular, biannual exam and cleaning is the easiest way to spot and put a stop to oral health problems early on, or better yet, prevent them from happening to begin with! In addition to getting your teeth looking and feeling clean, we can also screen you for oral cancer, examine the condition of your teeth and gums, and recommend any treatments that could improve your oral health.
Maintain Good Oral Hygiene Habits at Home
The best way to protect your teeth and gums on your own is by brushing and flossing your teeth every single day. These steps are essential for removing dangerous particles and bacteria that could cause cavities and infection.
Be Careful with Your Diet
Eating a diet heavy in acid (such as in soda or sports drinks) and sugar can increase your risk of cavities and enamel damage. To avoid putting your teeth through unnecessary risk, opt instead for healthier foods and beverages like water or milk.
Wear a Mouthguard
There are two different types of mouthguards. One is used by athletes to prevent sports-related injuries, and the other is used to treat bruxism (teeth grinding). Both devices are a great way to protect your teeth from breaking or excess wear and can be custom made right here at Holt Family Dentistry. Custom guards are comfortable and unintrusive, so you’ll be more likely to wear them as prescribed.
Use Tools, Not Teeth to Open Packaging
It can sometimes be easier to tear open packaging with your teeth if you don’t have a proper tool nearby, but opening containers, bags, and bottles with your teeth wears down your enamel, and could even cause them to chip or crack if you’re not careful. Thus, take the extra steps involved to find an appropriate tool and save your teeth for food only.
Dental Emergency FAQs
What does throbbing tooth pain mean?
If your tooth suffers from throbbing pain, it’s likely in grave danger. That kind of ache is usually a sign of an infection or inflammation within the tooth.
You see, all teeth have sensitive inner areas where their pulp lies. These regions can develop irritation and cause pain when the pulp nerves become infected. Once that happens, the ache won’t go away until you get treatment or the nerves “die out” completely.
All that said, there are less common causes for throbbing tooth pain. These include minor decay, chronic teeth grinding, jaw clenching, etc. To truly confirm your own case’s cause, consult your dental provider.
Can a chipped tooth repair itself?
Healthy teeth are certainly strong and durable; their enamel is even the hardest substance in the human body. However, the fact remains that a chipped tooth can't repair itself over time.
The core issue is that a tooth’s surface doesn’t have blood vessels like other body parts. Given this reality, the body can’t “grow” new enamel to replace the lost portions. Your teeth can only “re-mineralize” at most to strengthen the enamel you still have.
If you want to repair a chipped tooth, only a qualified dentist can help. Their restorative and cosmetic dentistry can easily change your pearly white’s shape and condition.
How long can a tooth last after it’s been knocked out of your mouth?
Unfortunately, a tooth can’t last long after it’s knocked out of your mouth. It’ll only stay viable for 15 minutes before it starts to die, so you should quickly see your dentist for treatment.
All that said, you can keep a knocked-out tooth safe while you wait for care. Consider preserving it by putting it back in its socket, the inside of your cheek, or a container with saline solution. With any one of these methods, you can keep your tooth alive a bit longer until reimplantation.
What should I keep in my emergency dentistry kit?
If you have a dental emergency, you can use an emergency dentistry kit while you wait for treatment. The best items to include in such a kit are:
- Sterile gloves (ideally nitrile)
- Dental cement (or other temporary filling material)
- Gauze pads and dressings
- Cotton balls
- Denture adhesive
- Petroleum jelly
- Anti-inflammatories like ibuprofen
- Topical anesthetic such as Orajel or a similar product
- Dental floss
- An ice pack
- Your dental practice’s contact information