Dental emergencies tend to be sudden and very inconvenient. Maybe your daughter slipped on the sidewalk and cracked her tooth a week before school pictures, or maybe serious mouth pain is distracting you from preparing for a big presentation at work. Whatever your family’s current situation is, it’s important for everyone to stay calm. With an experienced emergency dentist in Irving, Daily Smiles MacArthur Dental and Orthodontics is the ideal location for fast emergency care! Call us as soon as possible for urgent treatment.
Why Choose Daily Smiles MacArthur Dental and Orthodontics for Emergency Dentistry?
We Work to Get You in On the Same Day
Your Dental Insurance is Welcome
Calming and Compassionate Team Members
What to Expect at Your Emergency Dental Appointment
After you get in touch with our dental office, we’ll do whatever we can to get you scheduled for an appointment the same day you call. You can expect to receive first-aid tips on what you should do ahead of your visit. After completing a detailed exam and taking X-rays of your mouth, we’ll be able to confirm the source of your dental problem. Once we’re finished determining the extent of the dental issue, we’ll begin developing a treatment plan that works to get you out of pain and prevent your emergency from getting worse. This could involve either a dental filling, root canal treatment, tooth extraction, or other service. The last thing you should do is put off the care you need as dental emergencies rarely get better on their own.
The Most Common Dental Emergencies
Dental emergencies can happen quickly, like in the case of a broken tooth, or they may develop gradually, like a toothache that is the result of poor dental hygiene. Whatever the issue, our team is ready to provide the expert care you need to get you out of pain. We encourage you to learn more about the immediate steps you can take after some of the most common dental emergencies by giving us a call.
Do you need emergency dental care but aren’t sure whether you can afford to foot the bill? At Daily Smiles MacArthur Dental and Orthodontics, we offer accessible and hassle-free treatment to help you get out of pain. We focus on providing each of our patients with the highest quality of urgent services without having to carry the burden of financial stress during your appointment. Every dental emergency treatment differs depending on a variety of factors, so even though we can’t give you an exact price of your visit without examining the situation first, we have listed how each of these factors can impact the cost of your appointment.
The Severity of Your Emergency
The severity of damage to your mouth will greatly impact the cost of your visit to your emergency dentist in Irving. For example, a small chip out of a tooth can easily be repaired with dental bonding. However, a severe toothache that has been left unaddressed for too long could result in a root canal or tooth extraction, depending on what’s causing your pain. These procedures are significantly more invasive than dental bonding, which makes sense why they would have a slightly higher price tag.
Before our team completes any work on your mouth, we’ll discuss your options with you and make sure that you understand the situation. We want you to feel comfortable in our care and confident in the treatment that you’re receiving, which is why our team will also be available for any questions you may have.
Needing Follow-Up Dental Work
Certain procedures, such as root canals and tooth extractions, require follow-up dental work to help preserve the alignment and function of your smile. Your dentist in Irving will discuss these options with you during your appointment. Without the placement of an artificial tooth to fill the gap of an extracted tooth, or a dental crown to protect a treated tooth, future issues could arise. These follow-up restorative services can also impact the cost of your visit significantly.
How Can We Help You Financially?
Although all of this may sound daunting, there’s nothing to worry about. At Daily Smiles MacArthur Dental and Orthodontics, our team offers several financial resources to help you easily pay for the treatment you receive. We have affordable payment options through CareCredit, and we also accept Medicaid and CHIP. If you have any questions at all about insurance or the cost of your emergency appointment, don’t hesitate to ask our team. We’re here to help!
Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies
Taking precautionary measures to avoid a dental emergency in Irving will save you from needing an unexpected and stressful visit with your dentist. Even though you can’t completely prevent a broken, infected, or damaged tooth, there are certain measures you can take to drastically reduce your risk of experiencing these problems. Dr. Rafiq Hirji’s goal is to help his patients avoid any pain and discomfort caused by oral health problems as well as keep their smiles in tip-top shape. However, if you do find yourself in an urgent situation, our office is prepared to provide fast and effective dental emergency treatment.
Maintain Good Oral Hygiene Habits at Home
Something as simple as brushing your teeth twice each day, flossing every day, and rinsing with antibacterial mouthwash at least once a day can help you stay out of your emergency dentist’s office. When plaque, tartar, and food debris accumulate in your mouth because they’re not cleared away daily, it can create an environment where harmful oral bacteria can thrive. These bacteria will begin to produce waste in the form of enamel-eroding acid and toxins that can cause gum inflammation and irritation. This can increase your risk of developing gum disease, cavities, tooth infections, and even medical conditions associated with the toxins released by these bacteria.
Good at-home dental hygiene paired with routine checkups and cleanings with your dentist in Irving will reduce your risk of developing painful oral health problems that require emergency dental care.
Be Careful With Your Diet
Many people aren’t aware that what they eat can impact the health of their teeth and gums. Harmful oral bacteria love to feed off of sugars and carbohydrates, so if you eat foods packed with these, you’re transforming your mouth into the perfect home for these bacteria to live and accumulate in. Certain foods that contain vitamins and minerals like Vitamin B-12, Omega-3, and Vitamin C can help boost your mouth’s ability to fight off the effects of bacteria and reduce your risk of gum disease. Be sure to add some of these tooth-healthy foods to your diet to prevent dental emergencies:
Cheese, yogurt, and other white dairy products
Fish
Leafy greens
Fibrous fresh vegetables such as celery
Almonds
Wear a Mouthguard
If you have sleeping conditions such as bruxism or aren’t diligent about wearing protective mouthguards while you participate in sports, your teeth are at a high risk of wearing down, breaking, or becoming loose. These accidents can happen at any moment, which is why it’s important to be prepared and prevent the issue before it has an opportunity to occur.
Dr. Rafiq offers protective guards to shield your teeth and muscles from the strain of constant grinding or impact. They’re made from high-quality materials built to withstand everyday use and protect your facial muscles from strain and tension.
Dental Emergency FAQs
It’s never a bad idea to be prepared should a dental emergency strike. After all, you want to have as much information about the situation as possible. That’s why we recommend reading the following frequently asked questions about emergency dentistry in Irving. If you have an emergency question that you don’t see answered down below, don’t be afraid to contact our office and ask.
Do I need a root canal?
It’s impossible to give you an answer to this question without your coming in for an evaluation. However, if you have had a severe toothache for several days that doesn’t respond to over-the-counter pain medications, chances are you’re going to need more than a filling to treat it. That’s where root canal therapy comes in. During this painless procedure, your dentist in Irving will remove the damaged or infected root from the tooth and replace it with synthetic material. This will not only end your pain but also prevent reinfection. Once it’s finished, we’ll top your tooth with a lifelike restoration, like a crown or filling, and voila! Your toothache is cured, and no one even has to know you got dental work done.
How long should I wait to seek emergency treatment?
Ideally, you would seek treatment as soon as possible, especially since many dental emergencies are painful and you’ll want your dentist to help alleviate your discomfort quickly. This is critically true if you have a damaged or dislodged tooth, as the sooner you come to see us, the higher chance we have of saving your tooth. Even if you’re not sure whether your situation counts as an emergency, it’s better to be safe than sorry, so come see us anyway.
What if my child knocks out a baby tooth?
Just like with a knocked-out adult tooth, call us right away and we’ll get you in for an appointment. Whatever you do, do not place the baby tooth back in the socket. Doing so could irreversibly damage the underlying permanent tooth. If the tooth was close to falling out naturally, we might not have to do anything. If not, we may place a space maintainer in the area to prevent surrounding teeth from drifting into the gap.
When should I go to the ER instead of the dentist?
If your dental emergency is also life-threatening, like swelling that impacts your ability to breathe, then you should visit your local emergency room instead of your dentist in Irving. Other situations that require a hospital visit include:
Jaw fractures
Jaw dislocations
Deep lacerations
Serious infection
For any other non-life-threatening dental emergency, call us and we’ll help solve your problem.
What if I bite my lip or tongue?
First, rinse your mouth out with warm water. Hold a piece of gauze to the area to halt any bleeding. Cut down on pain and potential swelling by applying a cold compress to your tongue or lip for 10 minutes on, 10 minutes off. You could also take store-bought pain medications as needed. Until your oral injury is healed, it’s best to stay away from hot, acidic, or spicy foods and drinks, as they can irritate the site.
