Emergency Dentist – Mineola, NY

In Dental Pain? Need Help? Call Now!

No one expects a dental emergency to pop up and ruin their day, but roughly 1 in 6 Americans finds themselves in this kind of situation every year. If you or a loved one happens to end up in this unlucky group, don’t worry, because help is available right around the corner. Give Meadowbrook Dental Care a call, and we’ll gladly schedule a same-day appointment to provide the relief you need right away with emergency dentistry in Mineola, NY.

Why Choose Meadowbrook Dental Care for Emergency Dentistry?

  • Same-Day Emergency Appointments
  • Soothing Sedation Options
  • Kind & Highly Experienced Team

How We Treat Dental Emergencies

Woman wincing and holding her cheek in pain needing emergency dentist in Mineola

To stop the pain and repair the damage caused by a dental emergency, we typically follow these four steps:

  • Schedule an Appointment: We’ll make time to see you as soon as possible for an emergency examination. It’s generally ideal if you can get to our office on the same day as your call.
  • Emergency Examination: Obviously, treating your pain is always one of our top priorities, but the only way we can truly put a stop to your emergency is to narrow down what’s causing it – hence why we’ll need to examine your smile and capture X-rays of your mouth and jaw.
  • Review Findings: We’ll explain your oral health situation as clearly as possible. Then, we’ll go over your options for treatment and create a plan that’s right for your grin (as well as your budget).
  • Give Your Smile the Care It Deserves: Your emergency plan could involve personalized crowns, root canal therapy, and other treatments depending on what your underlying problem is.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

What counts as a dental emergency? We’ll make this easy for you: if you or a family member experience any painful or out-of-the-ordinary oral symptoms, go ahead and contact our dental office. We’ll let you know what to do at the moment and tell you whether or not you should come to see us right away. In the meantime, here are some of the most common dental emergencies we see.

Understanding the Cost of Dental Emergencies

Woman with curly brown hair smiling in dental chair

There is no set price for emergency dentistry—the cost of your care will be based solely on the type and degree of your injury as well as the procedure needed to address it. For both your teeth and your wallet, it is always better to come to see us sooner rather than later, as this allows us to take care of an issue before it becomes more advanced.

Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies

Man holding his cheek in pain while talking to emergency dentist

Fortunately, lowering your risk of experiencing a dental emergency is fairly simple, given that you keep a few practices in mind:

  • Wear a mouthguard when playing sports (both contact and non-contact)
  • Be very careful when chewing particularly hard or sticky foods
  • Don’t use your teeth to open packages
  • Avoid chewing on ice, pens, pencils, and other hard, non-food items
  • Keep up with your biannual checkups and cleanings to prevent small issues from turning into emergencies

Dental Emergency FAQs

Will My Toothache Go Away on Its Own?

We don’t recommend you wait and see if a toothache will go away by itself. This is because your pearly whites are unable to heal themselves. Once your teeth have been damaged, decayed, or infected, you’ll need to seek professional dental treatment as soon as possible to address the issue. For this reason, if you notice any type of discomfort in your smile or indications of a problem, don’t hesitate to give our office a call. We’ll be able to treat the issue before it becomes worse.

If I Have a Toothache, Do I Need a Root Canal?

Toothaches can be due to several kinds of issues, from cavities to dental infections or abscesses. The way our team will address your situation will depend on the root cause. Some of our common treatments for toothaches involve crowns, fillings, nightguards for bruxism, gum disease therapy, and even antibiotics.

One of the main reasons you would require a root canal is to save an infected tooth from needing to be extracted. While this procedure may seem daunting, the process itself is rather straightforward and stress-free. Not only will we make sure you’re as comfortable as possible throughout your treatment, but most patients also feel it’s as quick and easy as getting a large filling.

Is Emergency Dental Care Expensive?

Our team understands the importance of being able to afford any necessary treatments. Dental emergencies that aren’t addressed right away can be detrimental to your overall health as well as drive up the cost of your procedures in the long run. If you suspect an urgent situation, be sure to reach out to us immediately. Most dental emergency treatments can receive 50-80% coverage from dental insurance. Our team can help review the details of your policy so that you can make the most of your benefits. We can even offer alternative financing options through third-party financiers like CareCredit to split up the cost of your emergency care into budget-friendly monthly installments.

Should I Go to the Emergency Room for a Dental Emergency?

You should only go to your local ER if your dental emergency involves life-threatening symptoms, including:

  • Bleeding that persists longer than 10 minutes
  • Swelling that makes it difficult to swallow or breathe
  • A broken or disjointed jaw

For any other dental issues, be sure to bring them to our attention. Whether it’s a severe toothache or a broken or knocked-out tooth, getting treatment from our team will save you time, money, and stress. Most ERs only alleviate tooth discomfort temporarily. But with our expertise and services, we can address the root cause of your dental emergency and restore your oral health!

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Toothaches

Is my toothache a dental emergency? While toothaches can be minor and temporary, some can be more severe or last longer than 24 hours. If you’re having trouble biting down or notice a bump on the gums or that a tooth is looking darker than the rest, you’ll want to seek immediate care from your emergency dentist as soon as possible. These can be indications of an infection or some other serious underlying issue that you’ll need to treat right away.

How you should handle a toothache: Rinse your mouth carefully and floss between your affected teeth to dislodge any objects that might be stuck. Try using salt water to help alleviate any discomfort, reduce swelling, and disinfect the area. You can also take over-the-counter painkillers and use a cold compress to help lower pain until you’ve been treated.

How we treat toothaches: Our team will assess your situation to detect the root cause of your toothache so that we can develop the right treatment plan for you. Depending on the severity of your condition, you might require services like antibiotics and fillings or more complex procedures like gum disease treatment, root canal therapy, or a tooth extraction.

Learn More About Root Canal Treatment

Learn More About Tooth Extractions

Learn More About Gum Disease Treatment

Chipped Tooth

Is a chipped tooth a dental emergency? Chipped teeth don’t usually hurt and aren’t technically life-threatening. However, you won’t want to ignore them for too long, as they can easily become exposed to bacteria, infection, and further damage. To avoid more complications, it’s best to see your dentist for help.

How you should handle a chipped tooth: Pick up any large pieces of your tooth if possible so that you can bring them to your appointment. Carefully rinse out your mouth with salt water to help keep the area bacteria-free and to reduce discomfort. Do NOT chew or bite down with the tooth. Try to use dental wax or even sugar-free gum to protect any sharp or jagged edges that could hurt your soft oral tissues.

How we treat chipped teeth: We’ll thoroughly examine your tooth to determine the best way to repair it. In some cases, we can use composite resin to either restore the damage or recement any broken-off pieces back into place. For more visible damage, a more comprehensive and longer-lasting solution would be veneers.

Learn More About Dental Bonding

Learn More About Veneers

Cracked Tooth

Is a cracked tooth a dental emergency? A crack in your tooth can sometimes be obvious or closer to the inner layers, making it more difficult to spot. In either case, leaving it unchecked for too long can increase the risk of further damage and infection, so you’ll want to get treatment as soon as possible. If you’ve noticed pain in your tooth after a sudden impact on the face, make sure to schedule a visit with your dentist.

How you should handle a cracked tooth: Make sure to thoroughly rinse your mouth clean of any dirt and debris, that way your teeth are kept safe from potential infection. Use salt water to both disinfect the tooth as well as reduce discomfort and swelling. Use a cold compress and take over-the-counter pain medication. Avoid chewing on that side of your mouth until you’ve been treated.

How we treat cracked teeth: Your treatment will depend on the severity of the crack in your tooth. If it's minor damage, we might be able to simply use composite resin to fill the area. For more severe cracks or damage to the inner layers of the tooth, we might have to consider repairing it with a dental crown or extracting the tooth to preserve your oral health. Our team will discuss your tooth-replacement options before moving forward.

Learn More About Dental Bonding

Learn More About Dental Crowns

Learn More About Tooth Extractions

Very Sensitive Teeth  

Are Very Sensitive Teeth a Dental Emergency? Although dental sensitivity is normal from time to time, like when you sip on a really hot cup of coffee, it shouldn’t be ignored if the sensation persists or doesn’t seem to be the result of something specific. If that happens, then we recommend calling us to schedule an exam within the next day or two.

How You Should Handle Very Sensitive Teeth Try doing what you can to alleviate your discomfort, like avoiding extremely hot food, drinking room-temperature water, and taking OTC pain medication as directed.

How We Treat Very Sensitive Teeth The treatment we recommend will depend on what we find during your exam. If your dental sensitivity stems from untreated tooth decay, then a dental filling or crown may be the answer. If it’s an infection in your gums, then gum disease treatment may be the solution instead.

Knocked-Out Tooth  

Is My Knocked-Out Tooth a Dental Emergency? Not only is a knocked-out tooth a dental emergency; it’s a dental emergency where there’s only a finite amount of time where we can save your tooth. That’s why calling us right away is so important. The sooner you do, the higher the chances are of us being able to save your tooth!

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Tooth In addition to calling our Mineola dental team, finding your tooth is a top priority. If you can’t find it, don’t worry about it – simply focus on getting to our office. If you can find it, then submerge it in a clean container filled with milk or gently place it back in its socket.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Teeth First, we will determine if saving your tooth is a possibility. If it is, then we will absolutely take that approach. If it’s not, then we will need to find another way to restore your smile, like putting a dental implant in the open space.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL IMPLANTS

Lost Filling or Crown  

Is a Lost Filling or Crown a Dental Emergency? It may not seem like it if the restoration was small or if you’re not in any pain, but you should call us ASAP in both of these situations. That way, we can intervene with the necessary care before something bad happens, like an infection develops.

How You Should Handle a Lost Filling or Crown There are a few steps we recommend taking, including calling us to schedule an appointment, storing the restoration somewhere safe, rinsing your mouth thoroughly with clean, lukewarm water, and not chewing on that side of your mouth.

How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns We always have the option of simply providing you with a new dental filling or crown. There are also some cases where we can re-cement your current one back in place, like if your dental crown is in good condition and is relatively new. Don’t worry – we will review all of the options with you once you arrive at our office for your exam.

Broken Denture

Is a broken denture a dental emergency?: Wearing a broken denture can lead to soreness, gum inflammation, and other problems. If your prosthesis has been damaged in any way, you should call our office to discuss what steps you should take next.

How to handle a broken denture: Stop wearing the denture for the time being. Store it in a safe place where it won’t get lost before you can visit our office. Regardless of how minor the damage might seem to be, do not attempt to make any repairs on your own.

How we treat broken dentures: We’ll check your dentures to see just how severe the damage is. Oftentimes, it may be possible to fix the problem with composite resin. But if the denture is broken to the point where repair is no longer possible, we can help you get a replacement.

Learn More About Dentures

Learn More About Dental Implants

Learn More About Implant Dentures

Loose Permanent Tooth

Are loose permanent teeth a dental emergency?: A tooth that becomes partially dislodged but doesn’t fall out completely is also known as an extruded tooth. This is a very serious dental issue that should be treated by a professional as soon as possible; otherwise, the tooth could be lost.

How you should handle a loose permanent tooth: Be careful not to disturb the tooth in question. Make an effort to chew with the opposite side of your mouth, and stay away from hard or sticky foods for the time being. Instead of brushing the tooth, you can keep it clean by rinsing it with warm water.

How we treat loose permanent teeth: There are steps that we can take to address a loose tooth in order to try and save it. However, not every tooth can be salvaged. If necessary, we can remove the tooth in question and help you figure out the best way to fill in the gap.

Learn More About Tooth Extractions

Learn More About Dental Implants

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Is an injury to the gums, lips, or tongue a dental emergency?: If an injury causes your gums, lips, or tongue to bleed, we suggest giving our office a call right away. Based on the symptoms you describe to us, we can help you determine how serious the situation is and advise you on what to do about it.

How you should handle an injury to the gums, lips, or tongue: After cleaning the area with water, take a clean washcloth or gauze and put a small amount of pressure on the injury; this should put a stop to any bleeding.

How we treat injuries to the gums, lips, or tongue: Our team can use stitches to treat smaller wounds if need be. That said, you may have to visit the emergency room if you’re suffering from a particularly large injury or if you can’t get the bleeding to stop.

Jaw Pain

Is jaw pain a dental emergency?: An occasional bit of pain in your jaw isn’t necessarily a big deal, but if it turns into a chronic problem, it could be linked to a larger oral health issue. Give our office a call so that we can give you advice on what to do about your jaw pain.

How you should handle jaw pain: Head to the nearest emergency room if the pain is a side effect of a broken or dislocated jawbone. Otherwise, you should focus on keeping your discomfort under control with the help of over-the-counter medication or a cold compress.

How we treat jaw pain: We’ll need to figure out what’s causing your jaw pain before we can recommend any treatments. For example, if we find signs that you are suffering from bruxism, we may suggest wearing a personalized nightguard whenever you go to bed.

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

Every once in a while, a bit of food might get trapped between your teeth. Under normal circumstances, you can probably resolve the problem on your own by flossing or rinsing with water. That said, if the object in question is causing an inordinate amount of pain or is proving particularly difficult to remove, you can call our office for help.

One thing to keep in mind when trying to remove something from between your teeth is that toothpicks are not recommended (despite their name). Their sharp ends could lead to injuries if you’re not careful, so it’s typically best not to take the risk.