What is Considered a Dental Emergency?

Here is a list of the 13 most common dental emergencies that we have seen over the years. 

1. Aching: Toothache
2. Cut or Bitten: Tongue lip or cheek 
3. Chipped or broken: Tooth
4. Lost: Filling or crown 
5. Challenges: With dental implants
6. Problems: Following dental care 
7. Broken: Braces wires or invisalign retainer   
8. Possible: Broken jaw
9. Bleeding: After baby tooth falls out 
10. Sores: Canker sores cold sores 
11. Swollen: Face
12. Bleeding: Gums
13. Infection: Abscesses 

Each of these 13 dental emergencies has a different course of action and treatment both before you get to the dental office and how it is treated when you arrive at your emergency dental appointment.  

Which brings us to another question we often get at Princess Center Dentistry in Scottsdale . . . 

Do I need Emergency Dentistry Care? 

Many dental patients want to know if what they are experiencing is a dental emergency.  

Is it an emergency? Does your dental issue qualify as an emergency? Here is a checklist to help you answer these questions: 

1. Do I need help, to stop bleeding?  Yes 🗹   No 🗹
2. Do I need help alleviating severe pain?  Yes 🗹   No 🗹
3. Do I need help saving a tooth?  Yes 🗹   No 🗹

You find yourself answering yes to one or or more of these three questions, then reaching out to a dentist and making an emergency dental appointment is a good choice for both your oral and overall health. 

Up next  . . .

What Should I do if I have a Dental Emergency? 

Wondering what to do if you find yourself or a loved one experiencing a dental emergency? Here is a list of common questions and answers to what to do in a dental emergency . . . 

Can I go to a hospital for a dental emergency?

Princess Center Dentistry like most dentist offices is not open 24/7. However, we’ll do all that we can to get you an appointment to treat and resolve your dental emergency as soon as possible. 

Now, can you go to a hospital for a dental emergency? 

The short answer? Yes. 

The detailed answer?  Hospitals and emergency rooms treat health emergencies. It is important to remember that most hospitals do not have trained dentists on staff or the dental equipment used by dentists to treat your oral health emergencies. 

In most instances, a hospital or ER will help you temporarily with two main aspects of a dental emergency until you can get into a dentist to treat and solve your dental emergency. 

1. Pain reduction and relief 
2. Bleeding stabilization 

When should I go to the ER for Tooth Pain? 

Determining if you should go to the ER for tooth pain can be a challenge to figure out. 

If your toothache is also presenting with one of the following symptoms, you should go to an ER immediately: 

• Fever (if you have no other symptoms of a common cold or flu)
• Swelling that makes it hard to breathe 
• A bad taste in your mouth 

So what if you are not experiencing one or more of the symptoms above? Then how do you decide when to go to the ER for tooth pain? 

Can you get an emergency dental appointment at your local dentist office soon? Is there an appointment available today or tomorrow? 

What is your level of pain, and is it something you can manage until your emergency dental appointment? 

If you cannot handle or manage the pain level, and you are experiencing severe tooth pain, going to the ER may be a good choice for you so that you can get temporary relief for your severe tooth ache before your scheduled emergency dental appointment at the dentist. 

In essence, you should go to the ER for tooth pain, when your dentist is closed and you are in severe pain. 

What will the ER do for a Tooth Infection?

If you go to the ER for a tooth infection you may be experiencing:

1. Severe pain 
2. Bleeding you cannot stop 
3. Broken or fractured teeth 

All three of these symptoms are either a sign of an infection or may be a factor causing an infection. 

In addition, your local dentist may not be open at 2am when you finally decide that the tooth pain you have been avoiding is severe and unbearable, or your dentist may not have an appointment available until tomorrow or later. 

So, when you go to an ER for a tooth infection, the staff treating you will have three goals: 

1. Stop/reduce your pain level 
2. Stop your bleeding 
3. Provide you with antibiotics 

What Helps Unbearable Tooth Pain?

Making an emergency dental appointment with your dentist is a good first step when experiencing unbearable tooth pain. 

As noted above, you may also consider going to an ER if your dentist is closed. However, if you have an unbearable severe toothache, and are trying to make it through until your emergency dental visit for treating the root cause of your tooth pain, consider using one of the following: 

• Ibuprofen
• Advil
• Motrin
• Acetaminophen
• Tylenol
• Aspirin 
• Numbing gels (with benzocaine)  

What Should I do if I Knock out a Tooth? What if it is Broken?

If you knock out a tooth or if a tooth becomes broken are steps to follow: 

1. Assess the damage. Is the tooth broken? If not, sticking it back in the gum space it fell out of is one option. Although, depending on the age of the person, the tooth may accidentally get swallowed.
2.  If it is broken, stick it in a glass of milk. Placing the tooth in a glass of milk when not broken is also a good choice if you want to avoid the potentiality of it being swallowed by accident.
3. Make an emergency dental appointment. 
4. Go to the emergency dental appointment and have the broken/knocked out tooth repaired.  

FAQ About Emergency Dentistry Services at Princess Center Dentistry

Here are some frequently asked questions that we get at Princess Center Dentistry about our emergency services:

Insurance

• Do you accept dental insurance? 

Yes, we do accept dental insurance at Princess Center Dentistry. For information on if we work with the dental insurance provider that you have or any other insurance questions, check out our page on insurance coverage.

• Will my dental insurance cover the emergency dental treatments that I need?

What is covered, will depend on what you’re having done and your insurance. 

At Princess Center Dentistry, we understand that knowing what will and what will not be covered by insurance for dental treatments is important to our patients. 

This is why after a consultation, we send a pre-treatment estimate to insurance providers, to verify with your dental insurance what they will and will not cover.

Cost in Scottsdale

• What can I expect to pay for emergency dental services at Princess Center Dentistry? 

The cost of emergency dental services will depend on the services that you need.

• Do you offer payment plans? 

At Princess Center Dentistry, we do not offer in-house payment plans. We do offer 3rd party financing through CareCredit. 

What are Our Hours?

At Princess Center Dentistry, our hours are set to meet your needs no matter if you need an appointment before or after work or something in between. We even have hours on the weekend to meet your family’s need for flexibility. Checkout our hours in Scottsdale, Arizona: 

Monday: 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Tuesday: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Wednesday: 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM

Thursday: 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Friday: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Saturday: 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Sunday: Closed

Contact our Scottsdale Dentists

While we cannot provide 24-hour dentistry services, we will do everything we can to schedule an appointment for your dental problem as soon as possible.Still trying to decide if you should call Princess Center Dentistry for your emergency dentistry needs?

Check out patient testimonials to watch or read about their experiences of caring, gentle dental care for your smile today! Contact Us Now For Emergency Dentistry In Scottsdale.