Emergency Dentist — Downtown Boston, MA

Toothaches

Is my toothache a dental emergency? The cause of your toothache in Downtown Boston can range from a minor issue to something more severe. Your toothache is considered an emergency if you experience:

• Severe and throbbing pain
• A pimple-like bump near the tooth
• Darkness or discoloration on the tooth
• Fever combined with toothache
• Visible damage to your tooth

How you should handle a toothache: Initially, rinse your mouth out with warm water and floss around the area. If your pain persists, contact us right away for treatment. Until you can visit us, take over-the-counter pain medication and use an ice pack to manage your discomfort.

How we treat toothaches: First, one of our experts will carefully examine the affected area to determine the cause. Next, we may recommend treatments like root canal therapy, gum disease treatment, or a tooth extraction, depending on your case.

Chipped Tooth

Is a chipped tooth a dental emergency?  While a slight chip is not a dental emergency, a small issue can quickly turn into something more significant if you’re not careful. Call our emergency dentist in Downtown Boston to schedule an appointment and avoid any potentially serious decay or damage.

How you should handle a chipped tooth: Right after you chip your tooth, rinse your mouth out with warm water. This will wash away bacteria and debris that may cause discomfort. Next, put a cold compress or icepack on your face to reduce swelling and pain.

How we treat chipped teeth: We will usually recommend dental bonding for most cases of chipped teeth. This tooth-colored resin matches the shade and brightness of the rest of your smile so it seamlessly blends in. However, if you have a large chip, you may want to consider a veneer to completely transform the tooth.

Cracked Tooth

Is a cracked tooth a dental emergency? If your crack is very minor, it’s a non-urgent situation. That said, you should still contact us to ensure that the problem doesn’t get worse. Major damage must be treated right away. A cracked tooth in Downtown Boston is often hard to see but you may experience sensitivity or discomfort, especially when chewing.

How you should handle a cracked tooth: If you crack a tooth, rinse your mouth out with warm water to keep the area clean. Then, place a cold compress on the outside of your mouth on the affected area to numb pain until you can visit our office.

How we treat cracked teeth: For minor cracks, we can often use dental bonding to repair the area while maintaining your health and beauty. However, for more severe damage, we may recommend a dental crown to hold your tooth together and protect it in the future.

Very Sensitive Teeth

Are very sensitive teeth a dental emergency?: Teeth sensitivity is generally not a dental emergency unless it becomes very severe, remains for long periods of time, or affects exclusively one or two teeth at a time. These signs indicate that an underlying issue (i.e. cavity, gum recession, tooth abscess, infection) may be present. If you only experience mild sensitivity that comes and goes, it’s still worth scheduling an appointment to make sure nothing is wrong.

How you should handle sensitive teeth: When you call our office, we can provide tips on how to manage your sensitivity before you arrive for an appointment. These generally include subtle changes to your oral hygiene, but you’ll also want to stick with lukewarm water and avoid foods that are spicy, sweet, or acidic. Take over-the-counter painkillers as needed.

How we treat tooth sensitivity: The most common signs of tooth sensitivity is weakened or eroded enamel, which may be resolved through prescription mouthwash, topical fluoride treatments, or desensitizing toothpastes. Alternatively, antibiotics, gum disease treatment, or root canal therapy could be necessary.

Knocked-Out Tooth

Is a knocked-out tooth a dental emergency?: The most important thing you can do when a tooth is knocked out is act quickly. Call our office to get scheduled for an appointment as soon as possible as waiting too long could make the tooth unsalvageable.

How you should handle a knocked-out tooth: Pick the tooth up by the crown and avoid touching the root. Do not remove any tissue still attached and gently rinse it with cool water to remove any dirt or debris. Do not scrub the tooth or soak it in water. Instead, do your best to place it back into your open socket for preservation. Alternatively, you can keep it in milk, saline solution, saltwater, or an ADA-approved tooth preservation kit.

How we treat knocked-out teeth: If you can get to our office within one hour, we may be able to reimplant the tooth and give it time to integrate back into your jaw’s bone tissue. However, teeth that cannot be saved will be discarded and replacement solutions will be discussed. Common options include dental bridges, dentures, and dental implants.

Lost Filling or Crown

Is a lost filling or crown a dental emergency?: Most of the time, a lost filling or crown is not a dental emergency. However, you don’t want to put off professional treatment for long because your tooth is more vulnerable to decay and even infection without a replacement restoration. Call us right away if this occurs, even if there’s no pain present.

How you should handle a lost filling or crown: Do your best to locate the restoration and bring it with you to our office. Dental fillings generally need to be replaced outright, but dental crowns can be reseated temporarily with dental cement or denture adhesive. The crown will likely fall off even after a day or two, so don’t let it become a permanent solution.

How we treat lost fillings or crowns: When the restoration is still largely intact, we may be able to reseat it at the office. If the crown is too damaged, we’ll replace it completely. Our office makes use of tooth-colored fillings for the best esthetics without compromising longevity.

Broken Denture

Is a broken denture a dental emergency? A broken denture is more than just a nuisance. If a denture is chipped or cracked, it can collect plaque and bacteria, raising your risk of issues like gum disease. If the denture is warped, bent, or broken, wearing it can cause gum irritation, jaw complications, and injuries to your mouth. Your smile is important, so a broken denture should be repaired right away.

How to handle a broken denture:  Once you’ve called us and scheduled an appointment, keep your dentures out of your mouth. Keep them in a glass of water or clean container and remember to bring them with you to your appointment. NEVER try to repair them yourself with superglue or other household adhesives, as these products contain harmful chemicals that can potentially make you sick.

How we treat broken dentures: We may be able to quickly repair minor damage to your dentures with dental bonding or by realigning them. However, severely broken dentures may need to be replaced altogether. If you have broken dentures, now is the perfect opportunity to consider switching to implant dentures.

Loose Permanent Tooth

Is a loose permanent tooth a dental emergency? Whether your permanent tooth has become loose after a sudden accident or has slowly becoming loose over time, it qualifies as a dental emergency. A loose permanent tooth often indicates a serious oral health issue that needs immediate attention. Remember, even if the loose permanent tooth doesn’t hurt, it’s in danger of falling out.

How you should handle a loose permanent tooth: Avoid touching your loose tooth with your fingers, tongue, food, or anything else. If possible, refrain from eating until you can reach us, or at least stick to a very soft diet and avoid chewing on that side of your mouth.

How we treat loose permanent teeth: If we can, we’ll save the loose tooth by securing it to the neighboring teeth and encouraging it to heal back into place. Gum disease can cause loose teeth, so if this is the cause, we may recommend periodontal therapy. However, if the tooth can’t be saved, we may need to extract it and discuss replacement options such as dental implants.

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Is an injury to the gums, lips, or tongue a dental emergency? Injuries to the soft tissues in your mouth can seem alarming because they tend to bleed a lot. However, they can often be taken care of at home. Should you feel concerned or the bleeding doesn’t stop, you may need professional assistance.

How you should handle an injury to the gums, lips, or tongue: If the injury is fairly mild, rinse with water and hold a piece of gauze or a paper towel over it to stop the bleeding. Taking an over-the-counter pain reliever should help relieve discomfort. You can also apply a cold compress or ice pack to the outside of your face for 10 minutes on, 10 minutes off to reduce swelling.

How we treat injuries to the gums, lips, or tongue: If the injury is serious, or you can’t get the bleeding to stop after 10-15 minutes, you should not delay getting treatment. A visit to the local emergency room may be in order. Later, you can follow up with our team so we can assess the damage and help you get back on the road to optimal oral health.

Jaw Pain

Is jaw pain a dental emergency? If you experience jaw tension, lockjaw, or you grind and clench your teeth every night, you could have a condition known as temporomandibular joint dysfunction, or TMJ dysfunction. Jaw pain can be distracting and debilitating. What’s more, it can often get worse if left untreated, so you should seek prompt care.

How you should handle jaw pain: First, give our office a call and schedule an appointment. Then, to manage your discomfort until you can reach us, take over-the-counter pain relievers as directed on the packaging. You can also apply an ice pack or cold compress for 10-minute intervals to bring down inflammation and numb soreness.

How we treat jaw pain: Our team at Devonshire Dental Associates offers several custom-tailored treatments to help ease the strain on the jaw joints connecting your lower jaw to your skull, so you can eat and speak without experiencing discomfort.

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

If food or some other sort of debris gets lodged between your teeth, you could suffer pain and damage to your gums and dental enamel. Whatever you do, do not use a knife or other sharp item to try to get the object out; doing so might cause further damage to your mouth. Instead, tie a knot in a piece of floss, insert the floss between your teeth, and move it back and forth in the affected area. You might also find it helpful to rinse your mouth with warm water to try to loosen the offending item. If you cannot seem to dislodge the item yourself, don’t hesitate to give us a call: we may schedule an appointment for you to come in so we can provide professional assistance.