Emergency Dentistry Parsippany

Toothaches

Is my toothache a dental emergency? If you’re experiencing abnormal symptoms, such as bleeding gums, pain when biting down, or unexplained sensitivity, you shouldn’t hesitate to contact our Parsippany office. After you’ve explained your symptoms, we’ll let you know when you need to come in for emergency treatment.

How you should handle a toothache: There are a few ways you can manage your symptoms while you’re waiting for your appointment. Avoid eating anything hot or spicy, as these items can cause further irritation. You can also rinse with saltwater periodically, take over-the-counter pain medication as directed, and keep your head elevated if you’re going to sleep, since this reduces the amount of blood flow in the mouth.

How we treat toothaches: Toothaches often stem from untreated decay that has triggered an infection in the tooth. During your appointment, we’ll perform an examination to determine if this or something else is causing your pain. From there, we’ll review your treatment options; simple cavities can usually be handled with a filling, while more advanced cases might require a root canal.

Chipped Tooth     

Is a chipped tooth a dental emergency? A chipped tooth might not always seem serious, but if you’re dealing with considerable sensitivity, then the inner layers of your teeth might be exposed—and this warrants same-day care.

How you should handle a chipped tooth: You need to do what you can to protect your tooth from further harm; one of the best things you can do is rinse regularly with clean, room-temperature water to help keep your mouth clean. You should also avoid crunchy or hard foods and avoid chewing on that side of your mouth. Also, focus on getting to our office as soon as you can so we can assess the damage and review your treatment options.

How we treat chipped teeth: There are multiple ways we can go about restoring your tooth; one of the most common treatments for chipped teeth is dental bonding. Veneers can also be used to perfectly mask these flaws. However, if the chipping is quite severe, a treatment that’s more restorative in nature, like a crown, may be considered.

Cracked Tooth

Is a cracked tooth a dental emergency? Whether there’s a small, hardly visible crack in one of your teeth or a large, obvious fracture that’s caused considerable damage, you shouldn't hesitate to let our team know. Teeth cannot heal on their own, so once we know what we’re dealing with, we can schedule a same-day appointment; in the meantime, we’ll let you know how to manage any symptoms.

How you should handle a cracked tooth: Don’t delay in calling us; however, you should also keep in mind that you need to protect your tooth from further damage. Don’t chew on that side of your mouth if possible, and try to stick to eating only soft foods. You should also rinse your mouth out with clean water periodically, and if you need to, use OTC pain medication to manage your discomfort.

How we treat cracked teeth: It’s often possible to cover a cracked tooth with a dental crown, which can restore it in terms of look, feel, and function. Minor cracks can be treated with dental bonding. However, in rare cases, if the tooth is too damaged to be repaired, we might have to consider extraction followed by replacement, such as with a dental implant.

Very Sensitive Teeth

Are Very Sensitive Teeth a Dental Emergency? That depends. For example, if the sensitivity is persistent or it’s getting worse with each passing day, then you should absolutely schedule an appointment with us so we can determine if an untreated oral health problem is the culprit.

How You Should Handle Very Sensitive Teeth Until your appointment with us, it’s best to avoid hot drinks, spicy foods, as well as anything else that could exacerbate your symptoms. Instead, stick to room-temperature water, eat softer, blander foods, and take OTC pain medication if needed.

How We Treat Very Sensitive Teeth First, we need to complete a comprehensive oral exam. Once we determine what the culprit is, we can determine the best way to treat it. If a small cavity is to blame, for instance, then we can restore your healthy, pain-free smile with a tooth-colored filling.

Knocked-Out Tooth

Is My Knocked-Out Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes, especially since the tooth begins to die after about 15 minutes of being knocked out. So, don’t wait – schedule an appointment with our emergency dentist in Parsippany ASAP.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Tooth Calling us and preserving the root surface cells of your tooth are both of the utmost importance. When it comes to the latter, make sure to pick up the tooth by the crown (the chewing surface) and place it back in its socket. If that would require force, then place it in some milk or saline solution instead.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Teeth First, we will try saving your tooth. If that’s not possible, don’t worry – that doesn’t mean you’ll be stuck with a gap in your smile moving forward. Instead, we can replace both the root and the crown with a dental implant, giving you a strong bite and a complete smile again.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL IMPLANTS

Lost Filling or Crown

Is a Lost Filling or Crown a Dental Emergency? If you can get to our office the same day, that’s ideal. However, if you’re out of town or you lose your restoration outside of our office hours, don’t fret – we can help you the following morning.

How You Should Handle a Lost Filling or Crown In addition to calling us to schedule an appointment, we recommend rinsing your mouth periodically with clean, room-temperature water, not chewing on that side of your mouth, and placing your restoration somewhere safe, like a small, clean container.

How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns Both a lost filling and a lost dental crown can be replaced with a new one. If you still have your dental crown and it’s relatively new, then we may re-cement it back in place instead. Ultimately, the treatment we recommend will depend entirely on your unique situation.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL CROWNS

Broken Denture

Is My Broken Denture a Dental Emergency? Since even relatively minor damage can irritate the soft tissue in your mouth and make it difficult to chew, we do recommend scheduling an appointment with us ASAP if you have a broken denture in Parsippany.

How You Should Handle a Broken Denture Calling us is priority number one. Once you have an appointment on the calendar, transition your focus to doing what you can to protect your denture from breaking further, like placing it in a clean container instead of wearing it.

How We Treat Broken Dentures First, we will see if we can repair your denture. If the damage is so severe that we cannot, then we will begin the process of having a new one made instead.

Loose Permanent Tooth

Is a Loose Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes, a loose permanent tooth is a dental emergency, especially since the chances of it falling out increase with each passing minute.

How You Should Handle Loose Permanent Teeth Basically, you need to avoid doing anything that could loosen your tooth further, like chewing on that side of your mouth. Instead, rinse periodically with clean, room-temperature water, stick to a soft foods diet, and get to our office as soon as you can.

How We Treat Loose Permanent Teeth Oftentimes, we can save the tooth with the help of a dental splint. If the tooth cannot be saved, then we will need to extract it. To ensure you don’t have a noticeable gap or compromised bite moving forward, we will fill the open space with a dental bridge or implant as well.

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Is an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue a Dental Emergency? Typically, soft tissue injuries like these can be handled at home. With that said, you shouldn’t hesitate to call us if you have any questions, including if you’d benefit from scheduling an emergency visit.

How You Should Handle an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue After using clean, cool water to rinse your mouth, we recommend using gauze (or a damp, clean washcloth) to apply pressure to the cut. Once the bleeding has stopped, use a cold compress to alleviate any lingering inflammation.

How We Treat Injuries to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue Although soft tissue injuries don’t typically warrant an emergency visit to our office, you should head to the ER or call 911 if the cut is bleeding uncontrollably or you’re experiencing any potentially life-threatening symptoms.

Jaw Pain

Is Jaw Pain a Dental Emergency? A same-day visit usually isn’t necessary. That said, you shouldn’t hesitate to call us if you’ve been struggling with considerable jaw pain for 24+ hours.

How You Should Handle Jaw Pain In addition to using a cold compress for 10 minutes at a time, we recommend steering clear of crunchy foods and taking OTC pain medication as directed.

How We Treat Jaw Pain First, we need to take X-rays and complete a comprehensive oral exam to determine what the culprit is. If it’s impacted wisdom teeth, then we will need to extract them. If it’s chronic teeth grinding, then we will need to make a custom nightguard.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WISDOM TOOTH EXTRACTIONS

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

If something is stuck between your teeth, do NOT use a toothpick, tweezers, or any other sharp objects. Instead, rinse thoroughly with warm saltwater to loosen the debris. Then, use floss to gently clean between your teeth.