Emergency Dentist Charlotte

We’re Here to Deliver the Immediate Care You Need

Man touching his face in pain needing emergency dentist in Charlotte

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

Woman holding her cheek in pain while talking to emergency dentist

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.

Toothaches

Is My Toothache a Dental Emergency? Did you recently notice a bit of pain when biting down? Maybe you’ve been dealing with a dull, persistent discomfort for a while now. In both cases, we recommend getting an appointment with our emergency dentist on the calendar sooner rather than later. That way, we can pinpoint and treat the root of the problem before it gets worse.

How You Should Handle a Toothache In addition to reaching out to us to schedule an appointment, we recommend rinsing periodically with warm saltwater, not chewing on that side of your mouth, avoiding crunchy, acidic, and sugary foods, and taking OTC pain medication as directed.

How We Treat Toothaches Before we can give you an answer, we need to conduct a comprehensive oral exam. Once we know what’s causing your discomfort, we can review your treatment options, answer any questions you have, and provide the necessary restorative care.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ROOT CANAL TREATMENT

Chipped Tooth

Is a Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? Sometimes, a chipped tooth does warrant an immediate visit to our office, like if you’re in pain. In most cases, however, scheduling an appointment within the next couple of days should suffice.

How You Should Handle a Chipped Tooth A chipped tooth often leads to sensitivity. Plus, it dramatically increases your risk of a soft tissue injury. For both of those reasons, we recommend rinsing your mouth gently with some clean, room-temperature water before covering your tooth with some sugar-free gum.

How We Treat Chipped Teeth How we treat chipped teeth will largely depend on one thing: the extent of the damage. With that said, we usually recommend cosmetic dental bonding or veneers to restore the missing structure. If you are curious what the differences are between the two and which one is best for you, don’t worry – we will go over that information and much more at your appointment.

Cracked Tooth

Is a Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? Absolutely! Remember, even a small crack in your enamel has the potential to get larger. Plus, it’s very likely that an infection will develop if you don’t get the care you need. So, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team at Holt Family Dentistry.

How You Should Handle a Cracked Tooth To prevent your tooth from breaking further, you shouldn’t chew on that side of your mouth. You also shouldn’t bite your nails, chew on ice cubes, smoke, or do anything else that could make an already bad situation worse.

How We Treat Cracked Teeth Sometimes, a cracked tooth can be covered with a dental crown, saving it from further harm. If that’s not possible, then we may have only one choice: to extract your tooth. If that’s the case for you, don’t worry – you won’t feel any pain in the treatment chair, and we can fill the new space in your smile with a dental implant.

LEARN MORE ABOUT TOOTH EXTRACTIONS

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL IMPLANTS

Very Sensitive Teeth

Very Sensitive Teeth

Are Very Sensitive Teeth a Dental Emergency? There are several reasons you might experience dental sensitivity. For instance, it can be caused by eroding enamel or exposed roots from cavities or gum disease. It’s not always urgent, but if it worsens or impacts additional teeth, it can be considered an emergency. It could point to a progressing problem like cracked teeth, gum recession, or infection.

How You Should Handle Very Sensitive Teeth: Call us first and based on your circumstances, we’ll provide appropriate instructions. If it’s urgent, we’ll schedule a same-day appointment. Otherwise, we might book a visit for another time and offer helpful suggestions, like lifestyle changes to reduce sensitivity (eating less acidic foods and brushing more frequently).

How We Treat Very Sensitive Teeth: The treatment depends on the underlying issue. Weakened or eroded enamel might require a fluoride treatment or filling, while gum disease can be addressed with antibiotics or scaling and root planing.

Learn More About Tooth-Color Fillings

Learn More About Fluoride Treatments

Learn More About Gum Disease Treatments

Knocked-Out Tooth

Knocked-Out Tooth

Is My Knocked-Out Tooth a Dental Emergency? If you’ve had an injury that has dislodged a tooth, acting quickly is essential if you hope to save it. Contact us immediately so we can schedule you for a same-day emergency appointment.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Tooth: Locate your missing tooth and pick it up gently by the crown only (the tooth-shape portion). If you touch the roots, the still-viable cells can be harmed. Gently rinse any dirt and debris, then store it in a container with milk or saliva to preserve it. Remember to bring it with you to our office.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Teeth: If your tooth is in good condition and you reached us in time, there’s a chance we can place it back in the socket to be reintegrated into your jaw. Otherwise, we’ll need to discuss different replacement options with you, like dental implants, bridges, or dentures.

Learn More About Dental Implants

Learn More About Dental Bridges

Learn More About Dentures

Lost Filling or Crown

Lost Filling or Crown

Is a Lost Filling or Crown a Dental Emergency? Most dental restorations aren’t expected to last forever, so losing one isn’t necessarily an emergency. However, the tooth it was protecting is vulnerable to additional decay, disease, or damage if it’s not treated sooner rather than later.

How You Should Handle a Lost Filling or Crown: Try to locate your lost restoration so you can bring it to your appointment. You might be able to gently place a dental crown back over your tooth with a small amount of dental cement at home if you have it, until you arrive, but this isn’t recommended for fillings.

How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns: If your restoration is in good condition and isn’t too old, we may be able to recement it in place. Otherwise, we’ll likely recommend a replacement dental crown or filling.

Learn More About Tooth-Color Fillings

Learn More About Dental Crowns

Broken Denture

Is My Broken Denture a Dental Emergency? Wearing damaged dentures can potentially hurt your gums, tender tissues in your mouth, jaws, or remaining teeth. Whether it’s the acrylics base that’s been injured or the artificial teeth, you should call us right away for an appointment.

How You Should Handle a Broken Denture: As tempted as you may be, avoid putting your broken dentures in your mouth to avoid a potential problem. Also, don’t try to fix them at home (with super glue, for example), because many household products aren’t intended to be digested and can be toxic.

How We Treat Broken Dentures: Minor chips, cracks, or fractures in the pontics (the teeth portion) can sometimes be repaired with composite resin. Otherwise, we may need to reline your dentures so they fit correctly, or replace them if they’re too damaged to be salvaged.

Learn More About Dental Bonding

Learn More About Dentures

Loose Permanent Tooth

Is a Loose Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency? Also referred to as “partially dislodged” or “extruded”, a loose adult tooth demands immediate attention. Whether it’s due to physical trauma, gum disease, or some other cause, it’s important to act quickly to try to preserve it before it is lost.

How You Should Handle Loose Permanent Teeth: Call for a same-day appointment, then avoid touching it or eating overly sticky or hard foods. You can gently rinse warm salt water around your mouth to naturally disinfect bacteria and rinse away debris, but don’t brush or floss it.

How We Treat Loose Permanent Teeth: If it’s a loose dental implants, a bone graft might help salvage it. For natural teeth, sometimes a splint or other treatment can bolster it long enough to reintegrate properly. Otherwise, we might need to extract and replace it.

Learn More About Tooth Extractions

Learn More About Replacing Teeth

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Is an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue a Dental Emergency? It’s not uncommon for athletes or people who engage in high-contact activities to sustain an injury that cuts their gums, lips, or tongue. If you’re bleeding, our team can offer urgent assistance.

How You Should Handle an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue: Rinse your mouth gently with water to get rid of germs and debris. Then, apply pressure with a clean washcloth or piece of gauze until the bleeding slows and stops. You can apply and ice pack to reduce inflammation and aches.

How We Treat Injuries to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue: We can stitch the wound closed and examine your mouth to ensure that the injury didn’t cause any other oral issues. If your bleeding only gets heavier or doesn’t slow with pressure after 10 minutes, you should go to nearest ER instead.

Jaw Pain

Is Jaw Pain a Dental Emergency? Jaw pain can be incredible frustrating and hinder your daily activities, but it’s not necessarily an emergency. However, if it becomes chronic or is causing problems like a stiff or locked jaw, you need to be seen immediately.

How You Should Handle Jaw Pain: Call us and we’ll provide over-the-phone instructions to help alleviate symptoms until your scheduled appointment. Usually, it’s safe to take over-the-counter pain medications or apply a cold compress to address symptoms. If you believe your jaw may be broken or dislocated, please head to the closest ER first.

How We Treat Jaw Pain: Discomfort in your jaw can often be alleviated by an oral appliance, like a nightguard, to protect your TMJ joints. This also helps protect your teeth from cracks, chips, and premature wear and tear if you suffer from bruxism, or chronic grinding. If your pain is due to impacted wisdom teeth, we can extract them.

Learn More About Nightguards for Bruxism

Learn More About Wisdom Tooth Extractions

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

Having a piece of food or other object stuck between your teeth might not constitute an emergency. However, many patients injure their teeth or gums as they attempt to remove whatever’s become lodged.

To avoid this, don’t use household items like tweezers or utensils to pry the item free. Instead, floss gently or rinse your mouth vigorously with water to loosen it naturally. If that’s unsuccessful, contact us and we’ll schedule a time for you to come in so we can safely remove it.

How to Prevent Dental Emergencies

Preventing a dental emergency is easier than treating one

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 your dentist is a great way to prevent dental emergencies

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

Maintaining oral hygiene practices can help prevent a dental emergency

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

Drinking water instead of soda can help prevent a dental emergency

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

Wearing a mouthguard can protect your teeth and prevent a dental emergency while playing sports

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

Use tools, not your teeth to cut tape to avoid a dental emergency

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.

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