Emergency Dentist - Chelmsford

Toothaches

Is My Toothache a Dental Emergency? Toothaches are tricky because they can range from minor discomfort to intense, throbbing pain. If your toothache is severe, lasts more than a day, or is accompanied by swelling, fever, or sensitivity to temperature, it’s likely an emergency. These symptoms could be a sign of an underlying infection or abscess that needs immediate treatment.

How You Should Handle a Toothache:

• Rinse your mouth with warm salty water.
• Floss gently to remove any trapped food or debris.
• Take over-the-counter pain relievers if needed.
• Avoid chewing on the affected side of your mouth.

How We Treat Toothaches: At Chelmsford Dental Specialists Group, we’ll start with a full exam and digital X-rays to identify the root cause of your discomfort. Depending on the diagnosis, treatment may involve a filling, crown, root canal, or draining an abscess. In most cases, if an infection is present, we’ll also need to prescribe antibiotics.

Regardless of the cause or the method of treatment, we’ll relieve your pain quickly and guide you through your next steps for full recovery.

Chipped Teeth

Is a Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? A small chip might not seem urgent, but if it’s sharp, painful, or exposes the inner tooth, it should be treated as soon as possible. Even minor chips can lead to more damage—either to the tooth itself or to the soft tissues in your mouth—if left untreated.

How You Should Handle a Chipped Tooth:

• Save any pieces if possible and bring them to your appointment.
• Rinse your mouth with warm water.
• Apply dental wax (or sugar-free gum in a pinch) to cover any sharp edges.
• Avoid chewing hard foods or using the tooth.

How We Treat Chipped Teeth: At our Chelmsford practice, we’ll smooth out small chips or use tooth-colored bonding to restore your tooth’s shape. For larger chips, we may recommend a veneer or crown to protect the tooth and restore your smile’s appearance.

Cracked Tooth

Is a Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes, especially if you're experiencing pain when biting or if the crack extends below your gumline. If left untreated, a cracked tooth can worsen or become infected, so it’s best to get help as soon as you notice an issue.

How You Should Handle a Cracked Tooth:

• Rinse your mouth gently with warm water to wash away any residue or debris.
• Avoid chewing on that side of your mouth.
• Apply a cold compress in 15-minute intervals to reduce swelling and discomfort.
• Call our emergency dentist in Chelmsford as soon as possible.

How We Treat Cracked Teeth: We’ll first take you in for an emergency appointment and assess the extent of the crack using digital imaging. Minor damage may only need a crown or bonding. However, more severe cases might require a root canal or extraction. Our Chelmsford team will prioritize saving your tooth whenever possible.

Very Sensitive Teeth

Are very sensitive teeth a dental emergency? Mild sensitivity is one thing, but very sensitive teeth can be an urgent issue. Their pain often stems from serious problems like deep cavities, cracked teeth, or even gum disease. As a result, you should have a dentist diagnose and treat them as soon as possible.

How you should handle very sensitive teeth: To start, please call our office; our team will quickly book a visit for you if the situation is urgent. For less severe sensitivity, we can suggest lifestyle changes that’d help you manage your pain or soreness. Such tips include drinking warm water, avoiding certain foods, and taking over-the-counter pain relievers.

How we treat very sensitive teeth: We have several ways to treat very sensitive teeth, depending on their underlying causes. One method is to suggest special oral products – desensitizing toothpaste, prescription mouthwash, etc. – for mild cases. When the sensitivity is infection-related, we’ll advise that you get a tooth-colored filling or gum disease treatment.

Knocked-Out Tooth

Is a knocked-out tooth a dental emergency? A knocked-out tooth is one of the most severe oral issues, so it absolutely qualifies as an emergency. You’ll want to have it addressed quickly to avoid long-term damage to your appearance and health. I you don’t, you’ll likely lose your tooth and require costly dental work you might’ve avoided.

How you should handle a knocked-out tooth: Should you suffer a knocked-out tooth, you can do several things to handle it initially. The first step is to locate the tooth in question and hold it by its crown, as touching the roots would cause more damage. Next, rinse the pearly white and store it in some milk or saline solution. (A tooth preservation kit with an ADA seal of approval is also acceptable.) You can then take it to your dentist for follow-up care.

How we treat knocked-out teeth: If you see us promptly, we could potentially save your knocked-out tooth. Our team would simply need to re-implant it and see if it reintegrates with your smile. Otherwise, you’d have to consult us about tooth replacements – dental bridges, dentures, dental implants, etc. These prosthetics would help you avoid the side effects of tooth loss.

Lost Filling or Crown

Is a lost filling or crown a dental emergency? Fillings and crowns never last forever, so losing either isn’t an emergency scenario. However, you should still have the missing part replaced by your dentist soon. Patients who lack a filling or crown face a higher risk of tooth infections.

How you should handle a lost filling or crown: If you’ve lost a dental crown, please locate it and bring it to our office; we can reseal it if it’s still functional. We can’t do the same for a missing dental filling, so please leave such a thing alone.

How we treat lost fillings or crowns: Our team can often recement a lost crown when it’s intact. That said, you may need a new filling or crown if the old one is lost or too damaged and weak.

Broken Denture

Is a broken denture a dental emergency? As a matter of fact, a broken denture does count as a dental emergency. Wearing it as-is would likely injure your teeth, gums, and soft mouth tissues over time. To avoid that outcome, call your dentist if your denture’s teeth or base get damaged.

How you should handle a broken denture: Before anything else, avoid putting the broken denture in your mouth. Using it would just harm your mouth and put your oral health at even greater risk. From there, please don’t try to fix the device yourself; the attempt would worsen things. You should instead have a local and qualified dentist repair your replacement teeth.

How we treat broken dentures: Our practice has several ways to treat broken dentures, depending on their level of damage. When they’re only slightly broken, we’ll often fill any small chips or cracks with resin. We can also readjust a broken denture with a thorough reline if the damage is moderate. For severe cases, we’ll suggest replacing the device entirely.

Loose Permanent Tooth

Is a loose permanent tooth a dental emergency? Yes, a loose permanent tooth is a dental emergency. When “adult” teeth aren’t firmly rooted, they’re more likely to fall out from accidents or injuries. The resulting tooth loss would then create smile gaps that cause tooth decay, gum disease, or worse. Those gaps could also shift your other teeth until they also fall out.

How you should handle loose permanent teeth: You should first call us as soon as possible; quick treatment for a loose tooth can save it. Next, avoid touching or using the loosened area while you wait for care. You can also rinse your mouth with warm water to remove any nearby debris.

How we treat loose permanent teeth: Note that we’ll always try to save loose permanent teeth before looking at other options. In particular, we could provide a dental splint or perform other measures. Our team will only advise an extraction if the tooth simply can’t be saved. In that case, we’d remove the pearly white and place dental implants or bridges as substitutes.

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Is an injury to the gums, lips, or tongue a dental emergency? When such an injury is deep or severe, it can become a dental emergency. A deep cut would likely bleed a lot and require urgent care to prevent complications. This sort of injury will even become likely if you play contact sports that involve collisions.

How you should handle an injury to the gums, lips, or tongue: Before anything else, please clean the injured area gently with water; doing so rinses debris from your mouth. You should then apply pressure with a clean washcloth (or gauze) until the bleeding stops. If there’s any swelling or pain, you can use an ice pack or cold compress to reduce the symptoms.

How we treat injuries to the gums, lips, or tongue: Assuming the wound isn’t too big, our dentists can clean and stitch it closed. However, visit an ER first if any bleeding doesn’t stop within ten minutes.

Jaw Pain

Is jaw pain a dental emergency? Though annoying and unpleasant, jaw pain isn’t often a dental emergency. It only becomes urgent if and when it becomes severe and chronic.

How you should handle jaw pain: Please call our office first, as we’ll share detailed instructions with you over the phone. Our team may advise that you take painkillers, use an ice pack (or cold compress) to reduce swelling, and so on. If you believe your jaw is broken or dislocated, we’ll also advise you to visit an ER; we’ll gladly fix up your smile afterward.

How we treat jaw pain: Depending on its source, we have several methods for treating jaw pain. The first is TMJ treatment that addresses issues with your jaw’s joints. When the pain stems from an impacted wisdom tooth, we’ll advise its extraction. If you broke or dislocated your jaw, we can fix damaged or lost teeth after your ER visit.

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

An object stuck between teeth isn’t usually an emergency, as it’ll often come out on its own. However, don’t hesitate to see us if it’s causing you a lot of mouth pain. Our dentists can use their expert skills to dislodge the object without causing further issues. In the meantime, please don’t use tweezers or toothpicks; they’d likely cause more problems. Try flossing near the affected area or rinsing your mouth instead.