Emergency Dentist – Merrillville, IN

Toothaches

Is My Toothache a Dental Emergency? Before you decide to take the “wait and see” approach, it’s important to assess your symptoms. If they have persisted for 24+ hours, you feel a sharp, stabbing pain when biting down, or there is a pimple-like bump on your gums, then it does warrant an emergency visit to our Merrillville office.

How You Should Handle a Toothache: To protect your tooth from further harm while also alleviating any discomfort you’re experiencing, we recommend rinsing periodically with warm saltwater, avoiding crunchy, sugary, and acidic foods, and using a cold compress for 10 minutes at a time. If needed, you can take OTC pain medication as well.

How We Treat Toothaches: There are several ways we can treat a toothache, including with a dental filling or crown. Ultimately, the treatment that’s best for you will depend on your unique dental needs, so we will share our recommendations and help you decide the best way to proceed during your visit.

Chipped Teeth

Is a Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? That depends largely on how severe the chip is. If it’s substantial or you’re experiencing considerable sensitivity, then we do recommend scheduling an appointment with our emergency dentist in Merrillville.

How You Should Handle a Chipped Tooth: Placing some dental wax (or sugar-free gum) over the sharp edge of your tooth will help prevent it from breaking further and protect the soft tissue in your mouth from getting cut. Outside of that, just rinse your mouth periodically with clean, room-temperature water and stick to extremely soft foods, like plain yogurt and applesauce.

How We Treat Chipped Teeth: Direct bonding, a veneer, and a metal-free restoration can all be used to restore the missing structure of your tooth. Ultimately, the one that’s best for you will depend on a few factors, including the type of tooth in question. Rest assured, we will share our treatment recommendations and answer any questions you have so you feel confident deciding which one is best for you.

Cracked Tooth

Is a Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? A cracked tooth does warrant an immediate call to our office. After all, the more time that passes, the higher the chances are of the tooth breaking further.

How You Should Handle a Cracked Tooth: There are a few steps we recommend taking, starting with rinsing your mouth gently with clean, room-temperature water. You should also avoid chewing on that side of your mouth, especially crunchy and sticky foods, like hard pretzels and caramel candies.

How We Treat Cracked Teeth: First, we will assess the severity of the break and determine if your tooth can be saved. If it can’t, then we will need to extract it and determine which tooth-replacement solution is best for you (i.e., dental bridges, dentures, dental implants).

Very Sensitive Teeth

Are Very Sensitive Teeth a Dental Emergency? There are several potential causes behind your discomfort, and not all are urgent. For instance, receding gums or thinning enamel from aggressive brushing can trigger sensitivity. However, ongoing, persistent, or worsening aches can point to other underlying concerns, such as cracked teeth, damaged fillings, or other concerns that require treatment.

How You Should Handle Very Sensitive Teeth: Contact our office in Merrillville, and we’ll schedule an appropriate time to see you. We may also provide care instructions over the phone for you to follow until you arrive, such as avoiding overly sweet, acidic, or spicy foods, or rinsing your mouth with lukewarm salt water to reduce negative sensations.

How We Treat Very Sensitive Teeth: The treatment depends significantly on the underlying cause. Sometimes, a simple solution, such as a prescription mouthwash or desensitizing toothpaste, is all that’s needed. But depending on your condition, you might require a tooth-colored filling or a dental crown to protect and preserve your troubled tooth.

Knocked-Out Tooth

Is My Knocked-Out Tooth a Dental Emergency? Athletes and others who participate in close-contact activities are prone to sustaining injuries that can dislodge one or more teeth. Losing a permanent tooth always necessitates an emergency visit. The sooner you reach our office, the more likely we are to save your knocked-out tooth.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Tooth: Locate the tooth and pick it up by the crown (the tooth-shaped portion) to avoid damaging the still-viable cells on the roots. You can rinse it gently, then store it in a container with a small amount of your saliva or milk to preserve it until you arrive for your appointment.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Teeth: If the tooth is in good condition and isn’t severely broken or decayed, there’s a chance our team can place it back in its socket to eventually reintegrate with your jawbone. Otherwise, we’ll recommend an appropriate replacement, such as dentures, a dental bridge, or dental implants.

Lost Filling or Crown

Is a Lost Filling or Crown a Dental Emergency? Dental restorations are intended to last many years, but tend to wear down and require replacement, so it’s not always urgent if one is lost. But the underlying tooth is susceptible to additional injuries, decay, or disease without it, so it’s best to contact our office sooner rather than later.

How You Should Handle a Lost Filling or Crown: Try to locate the lost filling or crown to bring with you to our office, because we might be able to cement it back in its place. Rinse it off and store it safely until you arrive. You might try placing a dental crown back over the tooth with a small amount of dental cement or wax, though this isn’t recommended for fillings.

How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns: Depending on the condition of your dislodged restoration, we might be able to reattach it to your tooth to continue to fulfill its function. If not, we’ll gladly provide a new dental filling or crown.

Broken Dentures

Is My Broken Denture a Dental Emergency? Continuing to wear damaged dentures can lead to injuries of the gums, soft tissues, jaws, and remaining teeth. Contact our office in Merrillville as soon as you notice that the base or artificial teeth of your denture have been damaged.

How You Should Handle a Broken Denture: Do not continue to wear a broken denture before we have seen you at our office in Merrillville. Never attempt to repair a damaged denture on your own since you may simply break the appliance further or expose your mouth to dangerous chemicals like superglue. Instead, schedule an appointment at our office.

How We Treat Broken Dentures: We may be able to repair a denture depending on how badly it is damaged. While we can often patch damaged artificial teeth in our office or send a poorly fitting appliance to a trusted lab for a reline, it will eventually be necessary to replace your dentures completely. When this happens, it may be an excellent opportunity to consider upgrading to implant dentures.

Loose Permanent Tooth

Is a Loose Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency? A loose permanent tooth is at immediate risk of being lost, so contact us as soon as you notice that one of your teeth isn’t sitting securely in the gum tissue.

How You Should Handle Loose Permanent Teeth: Do your best to disturb the tooth as little as possible. Refrain from brushing or flossing the troubled tooth or poking at it with your fingers or tongue. Contact our office to set up an appointment so we can address the problem as soon as possible.

How We Treat Loose Permanent Teeth: We may be able to treat a loose tooth in a way that encourages it to reintegrate with your jawbone and gum tissue. However, a tooth that cannot be saved will have to be extracted to prevent destructive oral infections and replaced with a restoration such as a denture, bridge, or implant.

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Is an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue a Dental Emergency? Oral injuries can bleed a lot and be quite uncomfortable, and they are quite common among athletes. The team at United Dental Centers will be happy to address minor lacerations in the mouth at our office in Merrillville.

How You Should Handle an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue: Begin by gently rinsing the wound with water to flush away debris and bacteria. Apply pressure through a clean washcloth or piece of gauze to stop the bleeding, and you can use an ice pack or cold compress to address swelling and discomfort.

How We Treat Injuries to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue: We can stitch minor oral wounds and help you keep the area clean while it heals. However, head for your local emergency room if the bleeding doesn’t stop after ten minutes.

Jaw Pain

Is Jaw Pain a Dental Emergency? Jaw pain can be quite frustrating, but it typically isn’t a dental emergency unless it becomes chronic or interferes with your daily life. In some cases, the issues that cause persistent jaw pain can lead to long-term oral and overall health issues like grinding and neck, back, or head pain.

How You Should Handle Jaw Pain: We’ll be happy to provide you with instructions for managing your discomfort over the phone. You can usually temporarily address jaw pain by taking over-the-counter pain relivers or applying an ice pack or cold compress. However, go to your local ER if you believe your jaw is broken or dislocated.

How We Treat Jaw Pain: We can often address persistent jaw pain with a customized nightguard designed to protect the teeth from grinding when the patient sleeps. However, jaw pain caused by serious oral health issues may require more intensive treatments like extractions.

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

If you can’t remove a stubborn object stuck between your teeth with a thorough session of brushing and flossing, Dr. Fried will be happy to carefully remove it with appropriate dental tools. Never attempt to dislodge a stuck object with a sharp object like a toothpick, needle, or tweezers.