Emergency Dentistry Winthrop

Broken Tooth? Serious Pain? We’re Here to Help

Dr. Howard Brooks and Dr. Stephanie Brooks, as well as our specialists, Dr. Julianne Bruno and Dr. Andrea Shah, believe in being there for you when you need us most. If you or a loved one encounter a severe oral injury or a toothache, we are here to help. We strive to offer same-day help for dental emergencies whenever possible. This approach lets us provide solutions that help you regain a complete, pain-free smile. So, go ahead and contact us for custom emergency care today.

Why Choose Brooks Dental for Emergency Dental Care?

  • Same-Day Dental Emergency Appointments Available
  • In-House Endodontist & Orthodontist on Staff
  • Compassionate Care Using the Latest Dental Techniques

How We Treat Dental Emergencies

  • A Same-Day Appointment. When you call us, we’ll schedule your appointment as soon as possible. This visit will likely be on the same day. While you wait, our staff will also give you custom first-aid tips over the phone.
  • An Emergency Exam. During your visit, we’ll first perform a quick emergency exam. Doing so shows us the source and extent of your problem. It also lets us see how to relieve your immediate pain.
  • Review of Findings. After the exam, our dentists will review their findings with you; they’ll even suggest possible procedures. From there, they’ll draft a custom treatment plan that meets your needs. This last bit will include the estimated price and timeline for your care.
  • Proper Dental Care. Finally, our team will quickly address your oral issue. We can handle fillings, crowns, root canal therapy, and more, so you can trust us!

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

Dental emergencies may include a toothache, a cracked tooth or crown, any noticeable swellings in the mouth, jaw pain, a broken denture or prosthesis, or a fall or traumatic injury to the teeth or mouth. The list goes on! At Brooks Dental, our providers are here for you when the unexpected happens. Whether you’re in discomfort or there is something you are nervous about, contact us right away and we will be sure to see you for a same-day appointment.

Understanding the Cost of Emergency Dentistry

Naturally, you may fear that dental emergency care exceeds your budget. Drastic problems can sometimes involve extreme prices. However, the actual cost of a dental emergency varies by patient. You’ll have to see our dentists to get an exact treatment estimate. Still, our office will work to make your treatment affordable. More specifically, our knowledgeable front desk team will guide you through the pricing factors associated with emergency care as well as discuss our various payment options. This process will help relieve your stress about dental costs.

Every Dental Emergency is Different

Even if two patients come with the same symptoms, it doesn’t necessarily mean their treatment will cost the same because the underlying problem could be different. Also, the severity may vary as well as the repairs needed to get their smile back to full health again. With so many possible scenarios that would be considered a dental emergency, it’s impossible to estimate how much treatment would be for the “average” case.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?

Coverage and benefits will vary from plan to plan, but dental insurance usually includes emergency care. Keep in mind that the emergency exam and your treatment are considered two different services, which means that they may be covered at differing rates. As an example, dental crowns and root canal treatment are usually covered at about 50 percent by insurance, which means you’re responsible for paying the other half. When you come in, our front desk team can check on your coverage and help you take full advantage of the benefits you’re entitled to.

Other Options for Making Dental Emergencies Affordable

When you have a dental emergency, you shouldn’t have to worry about paying for unexpected treatment upfront. With Cherry financing, you can make payments over time. The application process is fast and easy, and payment plans are flexible.

In addition, the sooner you seek help from Drs. Howard or Stephanie Brooks, Dr. Julianne Bruno, or Dr. Andrea Shah, the better. Waiting to come in only gives the problem more time to worsen. Dental issues do not heal or get better on their own, which means you need to reach out to us as early as possible. The longer you postpone emergency care, the more expensive it will become.

Taking Care of Your Smile Can Save You Money

Some mistakenly think they will spend less money by only going to the dentist when a problem comes up, but—as the saying goes—an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In other words, preventive care, which comes at a much lower price, can help you avoid costlier procedures. In fact, according to the University of Illinois Chicago, every dollar a patient spends on prevention saves an average of between $8 and $50 in emergency and restorative care!

Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies

As you’d expect, it’s always better to prevent a dental emergency in Winthrop than to manage one. The latter scenario involves more time, money, hassle, and often pain. Thankfully, you have the power to reduce your risk of urgent oral problems. All you need to do is integrate certain oral habits into your lifestyle. Although some emergencies are unavoidable, having these habits will help you steer clear of the most unnecessary problems.

Visit Your Dentist Regularly

If you are not currently doing so, attend your regular dental checkups with our dental office every six months. These visits are meant not only to polish your teeth but also to diagnose and treat small issues before they get bigger. As a result, we can resolve problems as early as possible, sparing you the trouble of cavities, broken teeth, and more.

Maintain Good Oral Hygiene at Home

Caring for your smile isn’t just a semi-annual task. It requires daily effort through cleaning your teeth and gums at home. Otherwise, plaque and tartar can build up and cause dental infections. As a result, you should brush at least twice and floss at least once every day. These little efforts can keep harmful bacteria and acids under control.

Stick to a Nutritious Diet

A balanced diet not only ensures that your body receives the vitamins and minerals it needs to fight infection and stay healthy, but it also helps keep the microbiome of your mouth in check. Sugary, starchy foods and drinks can encourage bad bacterial growth, which leads to decay or infection. Making smart choices in your diet, such as not chewing on ice, can also minimize chips and cracks in your teeth.

Wear a Mouthguard

Are you involved in contact sports? When you play football, rugby, or lacrosse, you must have a mouthguard, but even non-contact activities like soccer, basketball, or skateboarding can involve occasional blows to the face. Unfortunately, store-bought mouthguards often feel uncomfortable or don’t stay where they’re supposed to. We can provide a custom mouthguard, which is precisely fabricated for your teeth, making it much more likely that you’ll actually wear it when you need it!

Use Tools to Open Packages, Not Your Teeth

Opening bags or bottles may seem simpler if you use your teeth, but your pearly whites were not designed to bite into these hard objects. To prevent chipping and cracking, take a few extra minutes and get a pair of scissors or whatever you need to safely open the packaging.

Toothaches

Is My Toothache a Dental Emergency? You should never ignore tooth pain. It signals that the tooth’s nerve is being irritated, and it can also make eating difficult and uncomfortable. Decay may have eroded the enamel, causing a deep cavity that will only get worse with time. Another possibility is that gum recession has exposed your roots, leading to severe sensitivity. We won’t know the cause behind your toothache until we inspect your mouth in person, which is why an emergency appointment is necessary in this situation.

How You Should Handle a Toothache: Take an over-the-counter pain reliever right away to reduce your discomfort. You may also apply a cold compress on your face to control swelling and further numb the pain. In addition, you will want to avoid eating overly hot, cold, or sugary foods, which may feel uncomfortable.

How We Treat Toothaches: First of all, we will determine the root cause of your toothache. If we determine that the tooth needs a root canal, the procedure can likely be started that very day to relieve you of pain. You might return in a second appointment for Dr. Shah, our in-house endodontist, to complete the root canal treatment. The tooth, if significantly damaged, may also require a cap, also known as a crown, in order to reinforce your tooth back to normal function.

Learn More about Root Canal Treatment

Learn More about Dental Crowns

Chipped Tooth

Is a Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? Many times, chipping a tooth doesn’t necessarily come with extreme pain. However, you may wish to have the problem treated right away because of the way it alters your smile’s appearance. As a result, you can contact our office for an emergency visit, and we’ll see you as soon as possible.

How You Should Handle a Chipped Tooth: If you can, locate the piece of your tooth that has come off and bring it to your appointment. If your tooth has a sharp edge or point, we recommend putting some dental wax, which can be found with dental products at most drugstores, or sugar-free gum over the tooth to prevent cuts to your soft tissues.

How We Treat Chipped Teeth: We may or may not be able to reattach the chip onto the tooth. If not, we may suggest filling in the chipped area with composite resin or hiding the chip with a veneer. If the chip is severe enough, a dental crown may be necessary to cover the exposed interior of the tooth.

Learn More about Veneers

Learn More about Dental Crowns

Cracked Tooth

Is a Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? If you put too much pressure on your tooth, the enamel can crack. Regardless of whether this hurts, cracking a tooth is considered a dental emergency because it compromises your ability to eat. Plus, your tooth becomes exposed to harmful bacteria, potentially leading to a painful, deep cavity.

How You Should Handle a Cracked Tooth: Rinse your mouth with warm salt water to keep the tooth clean. If you must eat, avoid using that area for chewing, and try to stay away from overly sugary, hot, or cold foods. You may want to consider covering the tooth with sugar-free gum to protect it from oral bacteria.

How We Treat Cracked Teeth: Your treatment will depend on how deep the crack extends into the tooth. Superficial cracks may be addressed with a dental crown or tooth-colored filling to prevent further breakage. In other cases, root canal treatment becomes necessary, and when the crack reaches below the gumline, extraction and tooth replacement may be the best and only choices available.

Learn More about Root Canal Treatment

Learn More about Dental Crowns

Very Sensitive Teeth

Are Very Sensitive Teeth a Dental Emergency?

Sensitive teeth can be a tricky symptom to decipher. In some cases, it can indicate tooth decay that should be removed right away to avoid additional pain or damage to the tooth’s structure. In others, it can simply mean the enamel has worn down thin or the gums have receded, exposing more vulnerable parts of the tooth. 

How You Should Handle Very Sensitive Teeth

Pay close attention to your sensitivity. Is it just one tooth that reacts or multiple? Does it react when you eat or drink something sugary or extremely hot or cold? Have you tried using toothpaste formulated for sensitivity? If you’ve done everything you can at home, but the sensitivity persists or gets worse, give us a call.

How We Treat Very Sensitive Teeth 

Depending on the issue and its severity, treatment can vary. For tooth decay, we may need to perform a root canal so that you feel no pain in that tooth in the future. In other situations, we may offer fluoride treatments to reinforce the enamel, fillings to cover the thin enamel, or another solution to reduce your discomfort.

Learn More about Dental Crowns

Learn More about Fillings

Knocked-Out Tooth

Is My Knocked-Out Tooth a Dental Emergency?

Absolutely! If a permanent tooth comes out of your mouth, you need to seek emergency treatment with us because there is a limited time in which the lost tooth in Winthrop can be successfully re-implanted. Try to come to our office within an hour of the injury for the best chance of saving the natural tooth.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Tooth

If at all possible, try to minimize how much you touch and handle the tooth. When picking it up or holding it, only touch the crown, which is the portion you usually see. Do not contaminate the root by touching it with your hands. Gently rinse with clean water, but do not scrub it or remove any tissue that could be attached. Do your best to reinsert the tooth into the socket, but if that’s too uncomfortable, it may be stored in a container of milk, which will keep it hydrated and in a healthy environment. Make sure to bring the tooth with you to our office!

How We Treat Knocked-Out Teeth 

Unless you’ve already done so, we will do our best to place the tooth back in the socket. If necessary, we may put a splint on the knocked-out tooth and the two teeth on either side for stability. However, if we are unable to save the natural tooth, we will then talk to you about your replacement choices, including a dental bridge or implant. Regardless of the solution, we will do what’s needed to complete your smile again.

Learn More about Dental Bridges

Learn More about Dental Implants

Lost Filling or Crown

Is a Lost Filling or Crown a Dental Emergency?

A lost restoration is considered a dental emergency because it not only affects your appearance but also impedes your ability to bite and chew properly. As a result, we strongly encourage anyone who loses a crown or filling to give our office a call right away.

How You Should Handle a Lost Filling or Crown

Try to find your restoration. After cleaning it, place a small dab of toothpaste on the filling or crown before putting it back onto the tooth. This should hold it in position temporarily. If you can’t locate the restoration, you may cover the exposed tooth with sugar-free gum or dental wax, which you can find at any drugstore in the oral care area.

How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns 

Most of the time, a filling or crown comes out because it is old or damaged somehow, which means it needs to be replaced with a new one. After looking at it and your tooth, we can evaluate whether it’s better to reattach the existing restoration or create a new one for you.

Learn More about Tooth-Colored Fillings

Learn More about Dental Crowns

Broken Dentures

Is My Broken Denture a Dental Emergency?

If your dentures break, the situation definitely qualifies as a dental emergency. It impairs your ability to eat and can be uncomfortable, to say the least. As a result, you should reach out to us right away so we can rectify the problem and get your smile back on track.

How You Should Handle a Broken Denture

Do not wear a broken denture—it could harm your gums and any remaining teeth. Make sure you bring your denture with you to the appointment so we can see what went wrong.

How We Treat Broken Dentures

With a few exceptions, we correct broken dentures by ordering a replacement set. That way, you are sure to have strong, comfortable teeth again.

Learn More about Dentures

Loose Permanent Tooth

Is a Loose Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency?

Once you’ve lost all your baby or primary teeth, others should not feel loose. As a result, if you have a wiggly adult tooth, it’s at risk of coming out completely. For the best chances of saving the tooth, you’ll need to see us sooner rather than later.

How You Should Handle Loose Permanent Teeth

As much as possible, avoid touching the tooth. The more you wiggle it, the looser it will become. If you eat, choose softer foods that require little chewing and avoid using that area of your mouth.

How We Treat Loose Permanent Teeth

If your loose tooth is the result of an injury, we may put a splint on it and the surrounding teeth to keep it stable while the connective tissues heal. If the tooth is loose because you have gum disease or the injury is more severe, we will do everything we can to save the tooth, but it may need to be extracted and replaced.

Learn More about Gum Disease Treatment

Learn More about Tooth Replacement

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Is an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue a Dental Emergency?

At Brooks Dental, we’re concerned about more than just your teeth. The soft tissues in and around your mouth matter too! If you bite your lips or tongue or otherwise injure these soft tissues, we need to see you.

How You Should Handle an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

In most cases, your priority is to stop any bleeding with a clean cloth or gauze. If it continues without signs of slowing after 20 minutes, you should go to the emergency room to see if you have a more serious medical issue. Otherwise, you can contact us and come to our office.

How We Treat Injuries to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Mostly, we need to examine your mouth to make sure that your soft tissue injury hasn’t caused further damage that may not be visible to the naked eye.

Jaw Pain

Is Jaw Pain a Dental Emergency?

Jaw pain can feel very uncomfortable. It occurs because the facial muscles surrounding and supporting your jaw are extremely tense and overworked. It most often happens during times of stress. This is a common occurrence in those who clench and grind their teeth, and it may be happening both during the day and at night in your sleep when you least realize it. Common symptoms include pain when opening the mouth, inability to open fully, feeling as though you can’t bite down properly, tenderness of the affected side of the face and neck, and sometimes diffused achiness in the teeth.

How You Should Handle Jaw Pain

To minimize your discomfort, stay away from foods that are hard or more challenging to chew, such as nuts, chips, and steak. Stick to a soft diet only for several weeks! You may take an over-the-counter pain reliever such as ibuprofen, and apply moist hot compresses as often as possible to relax the jaw muscles. Additionally, avoid opening your mouth very wide to yawn or to take a bite of food. Ultimately, a custom-fitted nightguard is what our providers here at Brooks Dental will recommend.

How We Treat Jaw Pain

After examining your bite, we can determine what kind of treatment you need. In some cases, orthodontics, or straightening your teeth, can actually help resolve the pain in the long term. The way your upper and lower teeth interconnect has a large impact on the jaw joint. In other cases, a nighttime oral appliance such as a nightguard can keep the jaw muscles relaxed.

Learn More about Orthodontics

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

Not only can it be annoying to have a piece of food or something else stuck in your teeth, but it can also cause pain or even shift your teeth. In addition, leaving debris between your teeth can facilitate plaque formation, potentially leading to cavities or infection. To remove this stuck object, use floss between your teeth. If this doesn’t work, give us a call. Do not use a toothpick, knife, or other sharp instrument because you could harm your gums or tooth enamel.