Emergency Dentist – Bangor, ME

Delivering Timely Care for Sudden Dental Injuries

Woman holding her cheek in pain before emergency dentistry in Bangor

Helping to alleviate your pain is our goal when learning about a dental injury. We understand how frightening it can be to think you might be losing a tooth, which is why you can call us right away, and we’ll work quickly to get you in the same day. Delivering fast and effective treatment is how you can expect us to handle your situation so that you can leave with a healthier, pain-free smile. Contact our office if you have questions about how we treat dental emergencies in Bangor here at Creative Dental Solutions.

Why Choose Creative Dental Solutions for Emergency Dentistry?

  • We Offer Same-Day Emergency Dental Appointments
  • We Welcome Dental Patients of All Ages
  • Your Dental Insurance Is Accepted

How We Treat Dental Emergencies

Emergency dental patient holding her cheek in pain

You will first need to call our dental office and let a member of our team know about your situation. Once we have the details, we’ll try to find a time that you can come in for treatment. While you wait at home, we’ll be happy to provide tips to ensure no further damage occurs.

Once you’re in our office, you can trust that we will begin to move quickly, taking X-rays and other digital images to identify the cause of your injury. After pulling together our findings and analyzing the information, we’ll create a treatment plan and go over it with you. Once you’re satisfied, we’ll begin to address the problem and restore your smile to its former beauty.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

Not all situations are considered dental emergencies, which is why you are encouraged to review the information below to learn what you can do and how to handle a particular injury while waiting for your appointment. Our team will be happy to discuss further details should you experience a nagging toothache, sensitive teeth, a lost crown or filling, or even a knocked-out tooth.

Understanding the Cost of Dental Emergencies

Dental team member showing a patient where to sign on a clipboard

If you’re worried that a visit to your emergency dentist will cost too much, don’t be. If you have dental insurance, there is a possibility that the visit alone will be covered. But even if you are required to pay (in full or in part), it’s vital that you seek professional care for a dental emergency. Forgoing treatment will only lead to more serious problems that require complex solutions. We’ll work to personalize your plan and make sure that you can pay without causing additional worry.

Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies

Smiling woman holding toothbrush and tube of toothpaste

While you can’t prevent all dental injuries, you can take steps to keep out of the emergency dentist’s office, such as:

  • Eating healthy, nutritious foods that are not full of sugars and starches.
  • Giving up unhealthy habits like smoking and eating ice.
  • Never use your teeth as tools.
  • Maintaining good oral hygiene habits each day.
  • Keeping your scheduled six-month dental checkups and cleanings with our team.
  • Wearing appropriate mouth protection should you decide to engage in sports or if you struggle with teeth grinding at night.
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Toothaches

Is My Toothache a Dental Emergency? Although toothaches don’t always require immediate care, they also shouldn’t be ignored. You’ll know if you need to schedule a same-day appointment with our Bangor emergency dentist based on the severity of your symptoms. For example, if the pain has persisted for more than 24 hours and there is a pimple-like bump on your gums, you should get an appointment on the calendar ASAP.

How You Should Handle a Toothache In addition to scheduling an appointment for an exam, we recommend doing what you can from home to avoid exacerbating your discomfort. That includes avoiding acidic foods, rinsing with warm saltwater, and taking OTC pain medication as directed.

How We Treat Toothaches Toothaches can be treated with everything from a tooth-colored filling to root canal therapy and a dental crown; it really depends on the extent of the damage! As always, we will share what we found during your exam, discuss your treatment options, and help you determine what’s best for your oral health.

Chipped Tooth

Is a Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? Sometimes! For example, if the chip has resulted in considerable pain, then you should get an appointment on the calendar ASAP. Otherwise, you should be safe coming in for an exam before the end of the week.

How You Should Handle a Chipped Tooth First, use clean, lukewarm water to thoroughly rinse your mouth. That way, food particles, bacteria, and shards of your teeth are rinsed away. Second, cover your tooth with sugar-free gum to protect your lips and tongue from getting cut.

How We Treat Chipped Teeth The treatment we recommend will depend entirely on your specific situation, including the size of the chip and the location of your tooth. Don’t worry – we will share all of the ways we can restore the look and function of your smile at your appointment with our Bangor emergency dentist.

Cracked Tooth

Is a Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes, a cracked tooth is absolutely a dental emergency. We recommend calling us ASAP so we can intervene with the necessary restorative care before an infection develops or your tooth splits further.

How You Should Handle a Cracked Tooth The only thing you can do until you arrive at our office is try to prevent additional damage. So, don’t chew on that side of your mouth, rinse periodically with clean, lukewarm water, and take an OTC pain reliever as instructed.

How We Treat Cracked Teeth Dental crowns can cover a weak tooth, protecting it from harm in the process. If the crack is so severe that the tooth can no longer be saved, however, then we’ll need to remove it before putting a dental implant or bridge in its place.

LEARN MORE ABOUT TOOTH EXTRACTIONS

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL IMPLANTS

Very Sensitive Teeth

Are very sensitive teeth a dental emergency? In most cases, sensitive teeth don’t qualify as emergencies. They often stem from non-urgent issues like mild exposure of tooth roots or an acidic diet. Still, tooth sensitivity can be an emergency if it’s severe, long-lasting, or only impacts one or two teeth. In those scenarios, the core problem may be a cracked tooth, deep cavity, or even gum disease. You’d thus want to see an emergency dentist.

How you should handle very sensitive teeth: Firstly, you’d do well to call Dr. Sigwart or another local dentist. They’ll see if the sensitivity is treatable at home or if you need a dental visit. During the call, our office can also suggest initial home remedies. These fixes might include drinking warm water, avoiding sweet foods, and taking over-the-counter pain relievers.

How we treat very sensitive teeth: Overall, how we treat your sensitive teeth will depend on their causes. If the core issue is gum disease or a tooth infection, you might need antibiotics, fillings, or root canal therapy. If it’s merely weakened enamel, we’ll likely offer desensitizing toothpaste, prescription mouthwash, or a topical fluoride treatment.

Learn More About Fluoride Treatments

Learn More About Tooth-Colored Fillings

Learn More About Nightguards for Bruxism

Learn More About Gum Disease Therapy

Knocked-Out Tooth

Is a knocked-out tooth a dental emergency? Actually, yes  – a knocked-out tooth is an urgent oral issue. Unless you act quickly, you might lose it for good. You should thus see a dentist for treatment as soon as possible. If you don’t, you’ll suffer the effects of tooth loss.

How you should handle a knocked-out tooth: As best you can, you should first find the now-lost tooth. From there, pick it up by the crown so you don’t harm its roots. You can then rinse the tooth and store it in milk or saline solution. Don’t store it in water, though, as this liquid will damage the pearly white.

How we treat knocked-out teeth: If the knocked-out tooth is still viable, Dr. Sigwart could re-implant it. It’d then reintegrate with your bone and soft mouth tissue. However, our office would suggest replacement options if the tooth can’t be saved. Options like bridges and dental implants would let you avoid the problems of untreated tooth loss.

Learn More About Dental Bridges

Learn More About Dentures

Learn More About Dental Implants

Lost Filling or Crown

Is a lost filling or crown a dental emergency? Ordinarily, a lost filling or crown isn’t an emergency. (Restorations aren’t meant to last forever, after all). Still, it’d be best if you called your dentist right away. Even if the affected tooth doesn’t hurt, it’s at risk of infection without its prosthetic.

How you should handle a lost filling or crown: To the extent possible, find the lost restoration and bring it to our office. Our dentists could reseat a crown temporarily if it’s in good enough shape. That said, we don’t recommend the same for dental fillings.

How we treat lost fillings or crowns: If your crown is mostly intact, we could recement it into place. If it isn’t, though, you may need to get a replacement filling or crown instead.

Learn More About Tooth-Colored Fillings

Learn More About Dental Crowns

Broken Denture

Is My Broken Denture a Dental Emergency? You rely on your dentures every day to chew, speak, and smile. Breaking your denture may not be painful or life-threatening, but you should still have it fixed as soon as possible. Wearing a broken denture can lead to soft-tissue irritation and make the damage worse.

How You Should Handle Broken Dentures: Don’t attempt to repair a broken denture on your own. Denture repair kits and household items can lead to additional damage. Instead, give us a call and let us know what’s going on.

How We Treat Broken Dentures: The way that we address your broken dentures will depend on the severity of the damage. If it is just a small chip or crack, we may be able to correct it with composite resin. However, for more severe damage, you might need to be fitted with new dentures. This is also a great time to consider other tooth replacement options, like dental implants.

Learn More About Dentures

Learn More About Dental Implants

Loose Permanent Tooth

Is a Loose Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes! A loose tooth is a dental emergency. If your tooth is loose, this means that it is at risk of falling out. You should have this addressed as soon as possible. Give us a call to schedule your visit.

How You Should Handle Loose Permanent Teeth: Once you notice that your tooth is loose, you should give us a call to schedule a visit. Until you see us, avoid chewing on that side of your mouth. You should also avoid wiggling or touching the tooth with your tongue and fingers.

How We Treat Loose Permanent Teeth: We will do everything in our power to try to save your tooth. If we can’t, we can discuss tooth replacement options to fill in the space.

Learn More About Tooth Extractions

Learn More About Dental Implants

Learn More About Gum Disease Treatment

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Is an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue a Dental Emergency? An injury in this area can be alarming, as it has the tendency to bleed a lot. If you have concerns regarding a wound in this area, give us a call so we can give you further instructions.

How You Should Handle an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue: Start by rinsing the area with water to wash away dirt or debris. Then, use a washcloth or gauze to apply pressure to the area until the bleeding ceases. For pain and inflammation, use a cold compress.

How We Treat Injuries to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue: If the cut is small, we might be able to help by stitching it closed. For larger cuts or wounds that won’t stop bleeding, the emergency room is probably the best place for you. We are happy to examine your smile after you have been discharged.

Jaw Pain

Is Jaw Pain a Dental Emergency? Most of the time, jaw pain isn’t a dental emergency, but it can still be quite uncomfortable. If your pain becomes severe or chronic, let us know. We can start to take the steps to address your discomfort.

How You Should Handle Jaw Pain: Over-the-counter pain relievers are oftentimes enough to relieve pain. However, if you think that your jaw may be broken or dislocated, you should go to the emergency room.

How We Treat Jaw Pain: The treatment that we use for jaw pain is done on a case-by-case basis. With some patients, a nightguard for bruxism is enough. For others, TMJ treatment is necessary. We can discuss your options during your next appointment.

Learn More About Nightguards for Bruxism

Learn More About TMJ Treatment

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

You shouldn’t use sharp items to attempt to get the object out from between your teeth. Toothpicks, tweezers, and cutlery can push the item further or damage your soft tissues. Instead, rinse your mouth with water. Then, use dental floss to dislodge it. If you are still having trouble, give us a call.