Emergency Dentistry – Boston, MA
In Pain? Call Us Now!
By nature, dental emergencies tend to be sudden, frightening, and very inconvenient. Maybe you’ve cracked a tooth on your lunch break, or you’re experiencing severe oral pain that just keeps getting worse. Whatever your situation is, don’t hesitate to reach out to Devonshire Dental for help! We’re located right here in the Financial District, easily accessible to busy professionals at work, and our dentists always make time for urgent cases as soon as possible and provide emergency dentistry in Boston, MA.
Why Choose Devonshire Dental for Emergency Dentistry?
- Same-Day Appointments Available
- Convenient Morning Dental Office Hours
- Highly Experienced Team of Dentists
What to Do in a Dental Emergency
- Same-day appointment: The first thing we recommend you do if you have a dental emergency is to give our dental office a call, even if you aren’t sure if what you’re experiencing is a dental emergency. This gives us a chance to get you scheduled sooner, ideally the same day, and provide first-aid tips over the phone to manage your situation and help reduce discomfort.
- Emergency exam: When you do get to our dental office, our team members will bring you to one of our operatories so that a dentist can perform a detailed emergency exam. This process may involve digital X-rays to better understand your condition and confirm the exact cause and location of your emergency.
- Review our findings: After going over their findings with you, the dentist will recommend a treatment plan that directly addresses your emergency and gets you out of discomfort. We work hard to get you out of pain by the time you leave our dental office, so you can continue your day without interruptions and get started on the path towards positive oral health.
- Get the care you need: After breaking down the estimated costs and time needed to treat your dental emergency, we’ll get you scheduled to have your treatment done (assuming it can’t be completed the same day). Services considered to treat dental emergencies include dental crowns and fillings, root canal therapy, and tooth extractions. However, other options may be recommended if needed.
The Most Common Dental Emergencies
Devonshire Dental is more than prepared to handle just about any dental emergency. Since they come in many different forms, it’s important that you give us a call right away if you feel something is not right with your smile or oral health. The most common dental emergencies can be found below as well as tips to manage them ahead of your appointment with us.
How to Prevent Dental Emergencies
While you can always count on Devonshire Dental should you or a loved one need urgent dental care, it’s always a better idea to prevent an emergency than to deal with one when it pops up! Thankfully, keeping your smile safe from dangerous infections and serious damage is easy with a few simple but important healthy habits. Read on as we cover the five most effective ways to minimize your risk of a dental emergency in Boston.
Visit Your Dentist Regularly
Your dental checkups are about more than just catching cavities. These routine visits allow us to spot and stop oral health issues long before they have the chance to cause a dental emergency. Plus, the main goal of these appointments is to prevent problems like these from developing in the first place.
Maintain Good Oral Hygiene Habits at Home
Between your regular checkups, the best way for you to prevent dental emergencies at home is to practice great oral hygiene. Studies show that an overwhelming majority of toothaches that cause patients to seek emergency care are caused by decay that could have easily been prevented with at-home oral hygiene. So make sure to brush for a full two minutes twice a day and floss daily!
Be Careful With Your Diet
Sugary foods and candy aren’t the only foods you need to be wary of to protect your oral health. Acidic drinks like soda, wine, and sports drinks are notorious for burning through enamel and weakening teeth, while hard foods like fruit pits, nutshells, popcorn kernels, and ice can chip your teeth in the blink of an eye if you chew on them. Instead, make sure your diet is full of calcium and vitamin C to promote strong gums and teeth.
Wear a Mouthguard
If you play sports, it’s essential that you wear a custom-made athletic mouthguard. These little devices can make all the difference in preventing broken or knocked-out teeth should you sustain a blow to the face.
On the other hand, if you grind your teeth in your sleep, you need to protect your pearly whites from excess wear and tear with a personalized nightguard for bruxism. We provide both types of high-quality mouthguards to help keep your smile safe on the field or while you sleep.
Use Tools, Not Teeth to Open Packaging
Your teeth are strong, but not indestructible. You should never use them as tools to open mail, packages, containers, bottles, or anything else. These non-food objects wear away at your enamel, and in the blink of an eye, can send you on your way to your Boston emergency dentist with a chipped or fractured tooth. Avoid the temptation of putting your smile at risk by keeping the proper tools somewhere easy to reach.
Understanding the Cost of Emergency Dentistry
Dental emergencies aren’t always predictable, and even though you’ll need to get treatment as soon as possible, the overall cost of your visit can often be a point of concern. Before we can provide you with a price estimate, our team will need to thoroughly assess your situation to determine which procedure(s) will benefit you most. For instance, a chipped tooth may only require direct bonding while an infection may need a root canal. After we’ve created a treatment plan, we can walk you through your expenses and financing options. Read on to learn more about the cost of emergency dentistry in Boston!
Every Dental Emergency is Different
One of the largest influencing aspects when estimating the cost of a dental emergency is the kind of procedure you’ll need to address your situation. For example, treatment for a chipped tooth will be vastly different and less expensive compared to fixing a knocked-out tooth. If two patients are both experiencing severe toothaches, one may require a mere filling while the other might need a root canal and a dental crown. Once our team can examine your specific emergency, we can determine the ideal solution for you as well as discuss the associated cost.
Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?
Although dental insurance plans vary from patient to patient, most providers are willing to offer coverage for the cost of at least one emergency exam every year. On top of that, the usual procedures used to treat dental emergencies typically have 50% or more covered. That said, you’ll want to confirm the details of your policy with your insurance company before committing to any work. If you need help with this process, you can contact our knowledgeable team so that we can assist in navigating your benefits to help you make the most of your plan.
Taking Care of Your Smile Can Save You Money
Even if dental emergencies can happen when you least expect them, there are still ways you can minimize your chances of experiencing one. By taking care of oral health issues while they’re small, you can save yourself time, money, and headaches compared to after they become urgent situations. Not only will you want to implement good oral hygiene (brushing, flossing, and rinsing your mouth regularly), but you should also invest in cost-effective and simple routine checkups and cleanings every six months to keep your pearly whites in pristine condition! Give our team a call today if you’re ready for your next biannual dental appointment.
Dental Emergency FAQs
Do you want to know more about what to do in case of a dental emergency in Boston? Our whip smart staff has collected some of the most common questions about dental emergencies and answered them below. We hope you find these FAQs informative! If you are currently experiencing a toothache or a sudden dental injury, do not hesitate to contact our office right away.
Can the Emergency Room Remove a Tooth?
No. Only a licensed dentist can perform tooth extractions. The procedure is actually illegal for someone without the training and education required to perform it, even in a hospital. If you go to the emergency room with severe tooth pain, they will likely only be able to provide antibiotics and pain medication. However, that will not address the underlying problem causing your toothache. Another good reason to go to a dentist instead of the ER if you have a toothache is because you may not even need to have your tooth removed. Depending on your situation, root canal therapy may relieve your discomfort and prevent the need for an extraction altogether. The only way to know for sure is to visit an emergency dentist in Boston.
How Should I Sleep with Tooth Pain?
The best way to deal with a toothache at night is to keep your elevated. Try laying your upper body on a stack of two or three pillows. This will prevent blood from rushing to your head and intensifying your toothache. You can also take over-the-counter medication as directed to help alleviate your discomfort and/or hold a cold compress over the affected area. Finally, avoid aggravating the toothache by abstaining from acidic, cold, or hard foods before bed.
Can Superglue Be Used to Repair Broken Dentures?
If your dentures accidentally break, do not try to repair them on your own with superglue. The chemicals used in superglue can be toxic and result in allergic reactions in some patients. It can also affect the way food tastes – and not in a good way! Finally, superglue does not do well in damp environments, so chances are it won’t last for very long after it’s applied to dentures. To repair or replace broken dentures, contact your dentist or prosthodontist.
What Should I Keep in My Emergency Dentistry Kit?
Dental emergencies can happen when you least expect them, which is why it pays to always be prepared. Packing an emergency dentistry kit can ensure you have the tools necessary to immediately respond to a dental injury or infection and then seek professional help. You can keep your emergency dentistry kit with your toiletries at home, at the office, or even in your family car. Here are some of the items you should keep handy in case of a dental emergency in Boston:
- Small storage container for teeth or restorations
- Sterile gloves (ideally nitrile)
- Gauze pads and dressings
- Cotton balls
- Dental cement (or other temporary filling material)
- Denture adhesive
- Petroleum jelly
- Anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen
- Topical anesthetic such as Orajel or a similar product
- Floss
- Ice pack
- Contact information for Devonshire Dental