Convenient emergency dental care is available for you at TrueGem Smiles in Leesburg, VA. Not sure if you have a dental emergency or if it can wait? Call us today and talk with one of our experts to get your questions answered!
We are asked this question a lot. Our Emergency dentist in Leesburg takes care of dental problems that need immediate attention. Just like medical emergencies, dental emergencies can happen suddenly, and they can be painful or uncomfortable. Your TrueGem Smiles team is trained to handle a wide range of urgent issues, from toothaches to knocked-out teeth. The goal is to relieve pain, fix the problem, and prevent it from getting worse.
A dental emergency is any situation where you need to see a dentist right away to treat pain, save a tooth, or stop bleeding. Some dental problems can wait for a regular appointment, but others can't. Here are the most common types of dental emergencies:
Severe Toothache: Tooth pain can be caused by many things, like decay, infection, or injury. A toothache might start small, but if it becomes severe, it's important to see us quickly. Toothaches can also signal a deeper problem, such as an abscess or an infection that needs immediate treatment.
Broken, Chipped, or Cracked Tooth: Accidents, falls, or biting down on something hard can cause teeth to crack, chip, or break. A broken tooth can be painful, especially if the damage is deep enough to expose the nerve. It can also increase the risk of infection. We can repair the tooth using bonding, a crown, or, in some cases, a root canal.
Knocked-Out Tooth: Quick action is key If a tooth gets knocked out due to an injury. If you can see us within 30 minutes to an hour, there's a good chance the tooth can be saved. In the meantime, you should carefully pick up the tooth by the crown (the top part), rinse it gently, and try to place it back in its socket if possible. If not, keep it in a container of milk or saline until you get to our office.
Lost Filling or Crown: Fillings and crowns help protect damaged teeth, but sometimes, they can come loose or fall out. This can leave the tooth vulnerable to further damage or infection. If there isn't an underlying condition that caused the lost filling or crown, we can sometimes simply reattach the crown or replace the filling to restore the tooth's structure.
Abscess: An abscess is a serious infection that develops at the root of a tooth or between the gum and the tooth. It often causes swelling, severe pain, and even fever. If left untreated, the infection can spread to other parts of the body, so it's important to see your TrueGem Smiles team right away. Treatment might include draining the abscess and prescribing antibiotics, as well as performing a root canal or extraction to get rid of the infection.
Soft Tissue Injuries: Injuries to the tongue, gums, cheeks, or lips can happen during accidents or while eating. If the injury causes bleeding that doesn't stop after 10 minutes of applying pressure, or if the wound is deep, you should call us or go to the emergency room.
When a dental emergency happens, quick action can make a big difference. After calling our office, here's what you should do for some common emergencies:
Toothache: Rinse your mouth with warm water and floss around the sore area to make sure nothing is stuck between your teeth. Don't put aspirin directly on the tooth because it can damage the gum tissue.
Broken or Chipped Tooth: Rinse your mouth with warm water and apply a cold compress to reduce swelling. If possible, save the broken pieces of the tooth and bring them to our office.
Knocked-Out Tooth: Try to put the tooth back in its socket, but don't force it. If you can't, keep it in milk or a saline solution until you get to us.
Lost Filling or Crown: Keep the crown or piece of filling in a safe place and avoid chewing on the affected tooth. You can use temporary dental cement (found in drugstores) to cover the exposed tooth.
Abscess: Rinse your mouth with warm salt water several times a day to ease the pain and draw out some of the infection until you can come into our office.
Emergency dental care is essential because it helps prevent small problems from turning into bigger ones. Without quick treatment, an infection can spread, or a broken tooth can cause long-term damage. Here are a few of our goals when providing emergency dental care at TrueGem Smiles in Leesburg, VA:
Emergency dentistry is available when you need fast, expert care for a dental problem. Whether it's a toothache, a broken tooth, or a knocked-out tooth, knowing what to do and getting to the dentist quickly can make all the difference. The goal is to relieve pain, fix the issue, and prevent further damage so you can get back to feeling like yourself again. As a patient, you don't plan for a dental emergency, but at TrueGem Smiles, we are ready to get you out of pain and return you to normal function as quickly as possible!