Emergency Dentist – Springdale, AR

Your Home for Urgent Care

Woman in pain before emergency dentistry

Dental emergencies like severe oral pain and broken teeth rarely pick convenient times to strike. You need to have an emergency dentist in Springdale, AR you can count on to see you as soon as possible when you have an urgent oral health issue – and Dr. Bollin is happy to be that dentist. Call Sunset Avenue Dental to schedule a dental appointment whenever a dental emergency occurs; you can depend on our dental team to treat you as quickly as possible when you need it most.

Why Choose Sunset Avenue Dental for Emergency Dentistry?

  • Emergency Appointments Available
  • Dentist That Doesn’t Waste Time
  • Skilled Team That Cares About Comfort

How We Treat Dental Emergencies

Woman in pain before emergency dentistry
  • Emergency appointment: If you have a dental emergency (or even just a situation that you think might be a dental emergency), call our dental office right away so that we can schedule an appointment for you as soon as possible.
  • Comprehensive emergency exam: Once you arrive, a detailed emergency exam will be performed in order to confirm the source of your emergency. Our team will take steps to put a stop to any immediate discomfort you might be suffering from.
  • Review findings: We will work with you to create a fully personalized treatment plan that addresses your specific dental issues. The estimated costs and expected treatment timeline will be explained to you before you make any decisions.
  • Get the care you need: Emergency care might include dental fillings, crowns, root canal therapy, and many other treatments. Our team is prepared to take whatever steps are needed to restore your oral health.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

Dental emergencies can take many forms, but no matter what kind of situation you’re dealing with, your first step should always be to call our dental office to let us know about your symptoms. Below is an overview of some of the most common emergencies that you or your loved ones might experience at some point.

Understanding the Cost of Emergency Dentistry

Dentist smiles

As you can probably guess, the cost of emergency dental care depends on what kind of emergency you have and what type of treatment you need. We’ll explain the costs associated with the recommended service in full detail so that you aren’t caught off guard when the time comes to pay. If you’re unsure about how you’re going to fit your emergency care into your budget, we can discuss your available options with you. Dental emergencies are usually much more affordable than medical emergencies, and avoiding needed care can cause you to require more expensive work to repair more serious damage down the line.

Every Dental Emergency Is Different

Lady has dental pain

It is essentially impossible to tell you what the cost of your emergency dental treatment will be before you receive an emergency oral exam in our office, and we’ll always make sure that you understand your options and how much they cost before any treatment begins. Dental emergencies range in severity, and some can quickly and inexpensively be addressed with treatments like fillings or prescription mouthwash while others may require more complex solutions like extractions or a root canal. If a tooth needs to be replaced with a dental implant or restored with a dental crown, the cost of treatment will be higher.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?

Dentist talks with patient

Most dental insurance plans offer at least some coverage for dental emergencies. Some plans may cover one or more yearly emergency exams, and common emergency services like root canals, crowns, and extractions usually receive at least partial coverage that typically ranges between 50% and 80%. It’s important to know what your insurance offers before committing to treatment since every plan is different and yearly maximums must be considered. We’ll be more than happy to help you with this process.

However, preventative care like routine exams and cleanings are usually 100% covered by most plans. Take advantage of these benefits to prevent most emergencies from ever happening.

Other Options for Making Dental Emergencies Affordable

People go over paperwork

While we accept many insurance plans, we also offer other financing options. A few of these include:

  • CareCredit is a third-party financier that offers payment plans with little to no interest for eligible patients. Ask us how to use this option to split your bill into manageable monthly payments.
  • We offer in-house membership plans that can give you access to quality dental care for an annual fee. This involves no deductibles, waiting periods, pre-authorizations, or annual maximums, allowing patients to receive preventive care as well as discounts on other treatments.

Taking Care of Your Smile Can Save You Money

Dental floss

While dental emergencies often result from accidents that aren’t anybody’s fault, most of the time they can be prevented by proper care and oral hygiene. Keeping up with your biannual dental checkups while brushing, flossing, and using antibacterial mouthwash every day can save you thousands of dollars over the years.

However, once you become aware of a dental emergency, treating it quickly is the only way to prevent it from getting worse. Allowing these issues to progress can cause miserable pain while making more expensive treatments necessary. For example, immediately treating a toothache with a root canal that can save your tooth is less expensive than waiting until you need to have it extracted and replaced with a dental implant.

Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies

Woman flossing teeth to prevent dental emergencies

Of course, accidents aren’t 100% avoidable. That’s why it’s so important to have a skilled emergency dentist that you can rely on if you wind up with a cracked, fractured, or otherwise damaged tooth. With all of that said, you can make it less likely that you’ll suffer from a dental emergency in the future if you:

Come in for a Dental Checkup and Cleaning Biannually

Man smiling during dental checkup

Did you know that your biannual visits to our Springdale dental office reduce your chances of experiencing a painful dental emergency? That’s because we dedicate time during these appointments to screening for tooth decay, gum disease, damaged restorations, and the like. As a result, we can catch issues in the early stages so they never develop to the point where they require same-day care. We also use the special tools we have at our office to gently clear away plaque and tartar, reducing your chances of experiencing a painful toothache from a cavity or infection.

Brush and Floss Consistently

Man smiling while brushing his teeth at home

Another way you can protect your teeth and gums from harm is by committing to a solid dental care regimen. That starts with using fluoridated toothpaste and a soft-bristled toothbrush to brush your teeth for a full two minutes in the morning and at night. Again, this is just the start; brushing alone only cleans about 60% of the surface of your teeth. To clean between them and along your gumline, you also need to floss and rinse with mouthwash each evening.

Stick to a Nutritious Diet

Woman smiling while eating healthy snack at home

The nutrients that are in foods like apples and celery aren’t just good for your body; they are good for your oral health! That’s because they help remove food particles, plaque, and other debris from your teeth. Plus, they give your body the nutrients it needs to help fight off infections. So, focus on eating lots of smile-friendly foods and keeping ones that are packed with sugar to a minimum.

Wear a Mouthguard When You Play Contact Sports

Patient holding clear mouthguard

Simply put, if you don’t wear a mouthguard while participating in sports, there is a chance that you’ll wind up with a serious dental injury. That’s why we recommend wearing one during practices and games! You should also wear one during non-contact sports (i.e., skateboarding, surfing, running), and if you grind or clench your teeth at night.

Use Scissors to Open Packages

Patient holding black scissors

If you’re having a hard time opening plastic wrapping, don’t use your teeth! It’s also important to avoid other unhealthy habits, like smoking, chewing on ice cubes, and biting your fingernails. That way, you’re significantly less likely to chip, crack, or fracture a tooth.

Dental Emergency FAQs

Will My Toothache Go Away On Its Own?

While under some circumstances the pain from a toothache may fade, the underlying condition that caused it will not. It is therefore crucial that you still see a dentist even if you can no longer feel your toothache.

Tooth pain is sometimes a consequence of infections that have penetrated deep within the tooth, damaging the nerve tissue within. This causes intense discomfort until these nerves die completely, at which point the pain will suddenly stop. However, this is a sign that the tooth could die completely soon, meaning that it's critical you talk to us as quickly as possible if you notice this has happened.

Should I Visit the Emergency Room First for Dental Emergencies?

While you can expect to be seen fairly quickly at the emergency room, they typically lack the tools necessary to treat the teeth. That means you can't rely on them to deal with dental emergencies.

The only situations where you should visit the ER is if your circumstances has become life-threatening, like if swelling is obstructing your breathing or if there are severe lacerations in your mouth. And even in these cases, you'll still need to talk to a dentist once the ER has stabilized you.

Do Chipped Teeth Heal?

Enamel doesn't grow back, which means that chipped teeth are not going to heal over time. The damage will be permanent unless it's dealt with by a dentist.

Thankfully this process is fairly easy; in most circumstances dentists will layer a composite resin onto the tooth and harden it into place with a specialized light, repairing your tooth within as little as a single appointment.

Do I Need to See the Dentist for Minor Chips to Teeth?

Even if the damage to your teeth is superficial, it may not stay that way forever. Leaving chips and cracks as they are gives them an opportunity to widen, exposing the interior of the tooth to infection. If the tooth is jagged, it may also damage the soft tissue in the mouth. For these reasons, it's a good idea to talk to us about any chip to your tooth, no matter how small.

Toothache

Chipped Tooth

Cracked Tooth

Very Sensitive Teeth

Knocked-Out Tooth

Lost Filling or Crown

Broken Denture

Is a broken denture a dental emergency?: Trying to wear a broken denture is a bad idea since it can cause serious problems for your gums, your jaw, and your remaining teeth. We recommend that you call us right away if your dentures have been damaged.

How to handle a broken denture: Do not try to fix your dentures on your own. Simply keep them in a safe place where they won’t be damaged further. Don’t forget to bring them with you when it’s time for your appointment at our dental office.

How we treat broken dentures: If your dentures are severely damaged, we’re likely to suggest replacing them altogether; this could be a good opportunity to upgrade to dental implants. That said, if your dentures have only suffered minor damage, we may be able to fix them.

Learn More About Dental Implants

Loose Permanent Tooth

Are loose permanent teeth a dental emergency?: Permanent teeth should never come loose; if they do, it’s likely a consequence of a physical injury or untreated gum disease. As soon as you realize that you have a loose tooth, you should reach out to our office immediately.

How you should handle a loose permanent tooth: Keep the tooth safe while you’re waiting for your appointment. Chew with the opposite side of your mouth, and don’t eat any hard or sticky foods for the time being. Instead of brushing and flossing the loose tooth, keep it clean by rinsing with warm water.

How we treat loose permanent teeth: We’ll examine the tooth and determine whether it can be saved. In some cases, removing and replacing the tooth may be the only option. On top of that, if the tooth came loose due to gum disease, we will determine the best way to treat the condition.

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Is an injury to the gums, lips, or tongue a dental emergency?: Sometimes physical trauma may leave you with an injury on your gums, lips, or tongue that causes bleeding. If you call our office and let us know how severe your symptoms are, we can advise you on your next steps.

How you should handle an injury to the gums, lips, or tongue: You need to keep the injured area clean, so rinse it with water. To stop the bleeding, put pressure on the area with a clean washcloth or a piece of gauze. If swelling is present, try applying a cold compress.

How we treat injuries to the gums, lips, or tongue: It’s best to head to the nearest emergency room if the injury is particularly large or if it’s accompanied by bleeding that doesn’t stop. That said, if you have a smaller injury, we may be able to stitch it closed.

Jaw Pain

Is jaw pain a dental emergency?: A little bit of jaw pain isn’t necessarily an emergency. However, we recommend that you call our office as soon as possible if it turns into a chronic problem; it’s best to determine the underlying cause as soon as possible so that you can avoid more serious issues down the road.

How you should handle jaw pain: Call 911 if your pain is linked to a broken or dislocated jaw. Otherwise, reach out to our office; we can give you advice for managing the discomfort until our team can see you. Taking over-the-counter painkillers and applying an ice pack to swollen areas can often help.

How we treat jaw pain: Sometimes jaw pain may be a sign of impacted wisdom teeth that need to be removed. In other cases, it could point to a different kind of problem. Our team can figure out the source of your jaw pain and put together a treatment plan that’s right for you.

Learn More About Wisdom Tooth Extraction

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

Having something stuck between your teeth can certainly be irritating, but oftentimes it doesn’t rise to the level of an emergency. In fact, it’s a problem that you can likely resolve on your own; in many cases, all it takes is rinsing the area with water or flossing around the tooth thoroughly. (That said, you shouldn’t try to dislodge the object with anything sharp, such as a toothpick.)

If you simply can’t get rid of the object on your own, call our office. Our team can gently remove any foreign materials from between your teeth in order to relieve your discomfort.