Emergency Dentistry

What is a dental emergency?

There are different types of dental emergencies, ranging from sudden and severe toothaches to accidents causing chips, cracks, or loss of teeth. About 22 percent of people have encountered dental or oral pain in the last six months. To determine if your situation is an emergency, consider the following questions:

• Are you experiencing severe pain or significant swelling?
• Is your toothache persistently painful?
• Have you suffered a loose or knocked-out tooth?
• Do you notice swelling in your cheeks or face along with a toothache?
• Are you experiencing extreme tooth sensitivity?
• Are you bleeding from the mouth that will not stop?
• Have you sustained an injury to your jaw?

In general, any dental issue requiring immediate treatment to stop bleeding, alleviate severe pain, or preserve a tooth is classified as an emergency. This also includes severe infections that pose a risk to your life and necessitate contacting your dental office promptly.

What is not a dental emergency?

If the problem can be taken care of yourself for a few days without seeing your dentists, it likely isn’t a dental emergency. For example, a chipped or cracked tooth is not an emergency if the fracture is not painful or has left you with no trauma inside your mouth, If you’ve lost a tooth or filling but it’s not severely painful, you can wait a few days to see your dentist.

What’s the best way to handle a dental emergency?

 The first step is to contact your dentist. If the situation is extremely severe, consider going to the emergency room. Depending on the nature of the dental emergency, there are some home remedies that may provide temporary relief:

• Rinse your mouth with warm saltwater (dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a mug of warm water).
• If a tooth is knocked out, store it in a glass of milk until you can see your dentist.
• Attempt gentle flossing to relieve gum pressure.
• Apply a cold compress to the swollen or painful area.
• Use Hydrogen Peroxide as a mouthwash to eliminate bacteria.
• Take over-the-counter pain medication to alleviate discomfort.

What does emergency dentistry cost?

We aim to provide high-quality dental care that’s affordable for our patients in Lincoln, NE. Emergency dentistry cost varies based on several factors. Out of pocket cost for any procedure depends on your insurance coverage at the time of the procedure.

• Emergency Exams: $0 – $89

Certain PPO plans cover 100%
Please note that the price of each procedure could vary from these numbers depending on the need–every patient and every case is different.