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Emergency Dentist— Worcester, MA

Quality Dental Care In Your Time of Need

Dental emergencies often strike at the worst times, leaving you panicked and scared over how to respond. Still, you don’t need to worry – just call our Winthrop Street Dentistry team at once! We’ll pencil you in for a visit as soon as possible, likely even the same day you contact us. Then, Dr. Timothy Zajac will draft a treatment plan to get your smile back on track. To learn more, continue reading below or book your same-day visit now.

Why Choose Winthrop Street for Emergency Dentistry?

  • Same-Day Emergency Appointments Available
  • We See Patients of All Ages
  • In-network with Many PPO Dental Insurance Providers

How We Treat Dental Emergencies

A pained woman seeing her dentist for a dental emergency

Maybe you want to know how emergency treatment works ahead of time. Well, our dental team is happy to walk you through how we do things. You can expect these four things from your emergency dental visit:

  • A Same-Day Appointment – We’ll book your visit for the earliest possible time once you call our office. In fact, we may even see you the same day you reach out! Before that appointment, our team can also provide relevant first-aid tips over the phone.
  • An Emergency Oral Exam – When you arrive for your visit, you’ll first undergo an oral exam. This process helps us learn the source of your dental problem. Better yet, it lets us grasp how to relieve your pain.
  • A Review of Findings – Our team will review its findings with you after the oral exam, as well as suggest suitable procedures. We’ll then use your feedback to draft a custom treatment plan. Rest assured, we’ll outline the estimated cost and time of your care before you commit.
  • The Dental Care You Need – Once we’ve diagnosed your problem and drafted a treatment plan, our practice will quickly treat your oral issue. You can trust our team’s skill and experience to do that job well. Whether you need a filling, dental crown, root canal, or something else, your smile will be healed up in short order.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

Even if you’re not quite sure whether you have a dental emergency, we urge you to call us anyway. We can determine when (or if) you need to come in once we learn about your situation. Our team can then explain how to manage your situation until you get more thorough dental care. In the case of the most common dental emergencies, that advice may look like the following:

Understanding the Cost of Dental Emergencies

Patient discussing the cost of treating dental emergencies with dental team member

While you may worry about the cost of emergency dentistry, treatment is the less pricey choice. Waiting until the issue worsens will only cause more pain and make things more expensive. Meanwhile, quick dental care lets us address your problem in conservative and affordable ways. Our office is in-network with many PPO dental insurance providers and offers no-interest financing. These facts mean we can heal your smile without breaking the bank!

Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies

Woman brushing teeth to prevent dental emergencies

Not all dental emergencies can be prevented, but taking a few precautions can drastically reduce your risk. So, remember to do the following:

  • Brush and floss daily to keep your teeth strong and infection-free.
  • When eating hard or sticky foods, chew carefully.
  • Avoid bad oral habits like nail-biting, ice-chewing, and smoking.
  • Visit our office regularly for routine dental checkups and cleanings.

Root Canal Therapy

Model healthy tooth and tooth in need of root canal therapy

When decay has reached the sensitive nerves in the center of a tooth (called the dental pulp), it can cause the mother of all toothaches. Although root canal therapy has a reputation for being painful, this procedure is actually meant to relieve your pain. We can stop the infection in its tracks by removing the pulp. Not only does root canal therapy put an end to your toothache, but it also saves your tooth from having to be extracted.

Tooth Extractions

Woman smiling after tooth extractions

We’ll take every step we can to preserve your natural teeth whenever possible, but in some cases, a tooth is so irreparably damaged that removing it would be the best option for your oral health. Rest assured that we use the latest anesthetic techniques to help you feel comfortable during your procedure. Once you’ve healed, we can discuss your options for replacing the tooth and enjoying a full smile again.

Learn More About Tooth Extractions

TMJ Therapy

Model of jaw and skull bone used to explain T M J therapy options

Your temporomandibular joints (TMJ) are the joints located just in front of and below your ears. They allow your jaw to open, close, and move side to side. Like any joint in the body, however, the TMJ can become inflamed or strained. This may lead to TMJ disorder (TMD), which is often indicated by jaw pain and stiffness, nighttime teeth grinding, or frequent headaches. Luckily, our team is able to diagnose and treat TMD right here in our dental office.

Toothaches

Is My Toothache a Dental Emergency? The urgency of the situation depends on the severity of your symptoms. For example, if you’re experiencing a sharp, stabbing pain when you bite down, then you should schedule an appointment with our emergency dentist in Worcester right away.

How You Should Handle a Toothache Calling us is a great first step. Whether your appointment is a few hours away or a few days away, focus on doing what you can to protect your tooth from further harm, like not chewing on that side of your mouth. If needed, you can take OTC pain medication as well. Just make sure to follow the directions on the label!

How We Treat Toothaches Once we pinpoint the root of the problem, we can review all of your treatment options, including a tooth-colored filling or dental crown. We will also share our recommendations and answer any questions you have so you feel completely confident moving forward.

Chipped Teeth

Is a Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? Oftentimes, small chips don’t necessitate a same-day visit. That said, we do recommend calling us right away so we can learn more about your situation, including any abnormal symptoms you’re experiencing.

How You Should Handle a Chipped Tooth Rinsing with clean, room-temperature water will help prevent food particles and other debris from collecting on your tooth. Covering the sharp edge with some sugar-free gum is also recommended to help prevent it from breaking further or cutting the soft tissue in your mouth.

How We Treat Chipped Teeth After your exam, we can review your treatment options, including cosmetic dental bonding and veneers. Ultimately, the one that’s best for you will depend on the size of the chip, your smile goals, and your budget.

Cracked Tooth

Is a Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes! In fact, even if you can’t see the damage, but you’re experiencing abnormal dental symptoms, we recommend calling us ASAP.

How You Should Handle a Cracked Tooth Avoid chewing on that side of your mouth, especially crunchy foods, since this can cause your tooth to break further. It’s also a good idea to rinse with clean, room-temperature water periodically and, if needed, take OTC pain medication to alleviate any discomfort you’re feeling temporarily.

How We Treat Cracked Teeth First, we need to determine if your tooth can be saved. If it can’t because the damage is so severe, then we will extract it before putting a custom dental bridge or implant in its place. That way, you have a healthy and complete smile again!

Very Sensitive Teeth

Are Very Sensitive Teeth a Dental Emergency? That depends! If you’ve always struggled with dental sensitivity, then scheduling an emergency visit likely isn’t necessary. Of course, if your symptoms are getting worse or they are present in tandem with other warning signs of trouble, like pain when biting down, then that’s a different story.

How You Should Handle Very Sensitive Teeth Until your appointment with us, do your best to avoid hot coffee, ice-cold water, and anything else that could exacerbate your symptoms. Rinsing with warm saltwater, using a desensitizing toothpaste, and taking OTC pain medication as directed can also help!

How We Treat Very Sensitive Teeth First, we need to determine what the culprit is. If it’s a small crack in your enamel, then the answer will likely be a dental crown. If it’s a large cavity, then a root canal may be needed instead. Rest assured, we will review all of your treatment options, share our recommendations, and answer any questions you have at your appointment.

Knocked-Out Tooth

Is My Knocked-Out Tooth a Dental Emergency? Not only is this dental injury usually quite painful, but the tooth also starts to die after only 15 minutes. For both of those reasons, we recommend scheduling an appointment with our emergency dentist in Worcester ASAP.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Tooth There are a few steps we recommend taking in addition to calling us to schedule an emergency appointment, starting with gently rinsing the tooth with clean water to remove dirt and other debris from the surface. From there, we recommend gently inserting the tooth back into its socket. If it doesn’t slide back into position easily, then put it in a clean container filled with milk or saline solution instead.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Teeth First, we will determine if your tooth can be saved. If it can’t, then we will need to replace it with a dental bridge or implant.

Lost Filling or Crown

Is a Lost Filling or Crown a Dental Emergency? We do recommend coming to our office the same day if you can. If that’s not possible, then give us a call so we can schedule an appointment within the next few days and walk you through what to do in the meantime to protect your tooth and your restoration.

How You Should Handle a Lost Filling or Crown In addition to keeping your restoration in a small, clean container for safekeeping, it’s important to do what you can to protect your vulnerable tooth. That starts with not chewing on that side of your mouth and extends to rinsing with clean, room-temperature water periodically.

How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns If your restoration was truly lost or is damaged beyond repair, don’t worry – we can have a new one made. Of course, if you have your dental crown and it’s in good condition, then we may be able to recement it back in place instead.

Broken Dentures

Is My Broken Denture a Dental Emergency? Since you can’t chew properly with broken dentures and continuing to wear them can lead to painful mouth sores and further damage, we do recommend scheduling an emergency appointment at our Worcester dental office.

How You Should Handle a Broken Denture In addition to scheduling an appointment with us, we recommend placing your denture in its case for safekeeping. It’s also important to eat extremely soft foods, like plain yogurt, instead of hard pretzels, croutons, and other crunchy ones.

How We Treat Broken Dentures When you arrive at our office, we will assess the damage and determine if we can repair your denture. If we can’t, then we will need to send it to the dental lab or begin the process of having a new one made.

Loose Permanent Tooth

Is a Loose Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes, a loose permanent tooth warrants an immediate call to our office. In addition to scheduling an appointment with our emergency dentist in Worcester, we will walk you through how to handle this dental injury until you arrive at our office.

How You Should Handle Loose Permanent Teeth It’s important that you avoid doing anything that can loosen your tooth further, like eating crunchy foods or chewing on that side of your mouth. You should also rinse your mouth gently with clean, room-temperature water periodically.

How We Treat Loose Permanent Teeth When you arrive at our office, your emergency dentist in Worcester will determine whether or not your tooth can be saved. If it can’t, then they will need to perform an extraction before having a custom dental bridge or implant made.

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Is an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue a Dental Emergency? Soft tissue injuries like these rarely require a visit to our office. That said, you should call 911 or head to the ER if the cut is bleeding uncontrollably or you’re experiencing any other potentially life-threatening symptoms.

How You Should Handle an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue We recommend rinsing your mouth gently, but thoroughly, with cool water. Then, apply pressure to the cut with some gauze or a clean, damp washcloth. After the bleeding stops, you can use a cold compress to alleviate any swelling.

How We Treat Injuries to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue Although soft tissue injuries don’t typically require an emergency visit to our office, you shouldn’t hesitate to give us a call if you have a question.

Jaw Pain

Is Jaw Pain a Dental Emergency? Jaw pain doesn’t typically require same-day care. That said, you should call us if you’re experiencing persistent discomfort, or if it has progressed to the point where it’s making it difficult to sleep, concentrate, or chew.

How You Should Handle Jaw Pain Using a cold compress, eating soft foods, and taking OTC pain medication as directed should help alleviate any pain you’re experiencing temporarily.

How We Treat Jaw Pain First, we need to learn all about your symptoms and complete a comprehensive oral exam. Then, we can pinpoint the root of the problem as well as the best way to treat it. For example, if your pain is stemming from impacted wisdom teeth, we can remove them.

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

If something gets lodged between your teeth, you might be tempted to reach for a toothpick or another sharp object. However, this often just pushes the debris further into place. So, we recommend a different approach: rinsing your mouth with warm saltwater before using a strand of floss to gently clean between your teeth.

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