With only one set of permanent teeth to last your entire lifetime, you want to keep your smile safe, but life happens. Whether your kid is skateboarding and has an accident, or you feel a severe toothache, you can turn to our trusted, caring team to make it right again. When you need it most, we’re here to help you get back to full oral health. So, if you are in the middle of a dental emergency, don’t wait! Contact our practice immediately so that your smile can stay happy and healthy!
In some situations, figuring out what to do is easy—if you have a broken bone, you need to see a doctor right away. But with dental emergencies, it can be challenging to know what course of action to take. Overall, it’s almost always a good idea to call our office. Below are some general tips for dealing with the most common issues.
Dental emergencies can be just as unique as you are and require personalized treatment that is catered to your specific needs. Before we begin to fix your problem, we will go over the costs associated with treatment so that you can make an informed decision. However, if you need help, don’t put off treatment—it could cause you even more pain and serious trouble down the road. We’ll be happy to discuss the cost of emergency dentistry in Moses Lake so we can deal with the problem sooner rather than later.
Most times an initial dental emergency visit is relatively inexpensive. Our team will evaluate your mouth to understand the amount of damage. Then we’ll create a personalized treatment plan to get you back on track with a clean and healthy smile.
The cost of your specific procedure(s) will depend entirely on the kind of dental emergency you have. This means we won’t know the price of your care until you come into our office for an examination. However, you can be sure that we’ll walk you through all the details of the pricing for your treatment options before proceeding with one.
Many dental insurance plans offer a certain amount of coverage for emergency dentistry. Often times treatments related to urgent dental care, such as root canal therapy or dental crowns, can receive 50% to 80% coverage. You should still consider your plan’s yearly maximums and deductibles, or call your insurance provider before undergoing specific procedures.
Even if you aren’t covered by dental insurance, we can offer alternative financial plans through CareCredit. This will allow you to pay the cost of treatments in monthly installments, making the overall price more manageable and convenient for you. Speak with our team, and we’ll be happy to discuss your payment options!
Even though some dental emergencies can happen unexpectedly, it’s a good idea to know how you can prevent them in the future. Since the majority of cases happen due to decay, infection, or damage that’s gradually worsened, you should invest in routine dental checkups as well as proper dental hygiene. This can save you hundreds or thousands of dollars on urgent dental care in the long run.
However, putting off necessary treatments can actually increase your risk of needing more expensive or invasive procedures in the future. If you’re experiencing a dental emergency, contact your emergency dentist in Moses Lake right away.
The harsh truth is that you won’t be able to prevent dental emergencies in Moses Lake all the time; however, you can take certain measures to protect your smile from decay and damage. It is always better to be proactive and take necessary precautions to avoid a trip to the emergency dental office. By maintaining regular dental checkups, practicing good oral hygiene at home, avoiding bad habits, and eating healthy foods, you can enjoy a healthier, damage-free smile for a lifetime.
Regular dental checkups and cleanings every six months will ensure that your teeth and gums do not develop decay, cavities, or periodontal disease. Your emergency dentist in Moses Lake and team of hygienists will help to safeguard your smile using professional instruments designed to remove plaque buildup and other harmful bacteria. We’ll also check for signs of oral cancer, gum disease, cavities, and tooth decay to catch any issues before they become a real problem.
At-home oral habits are essential for optimal dental health. When meeting with Dr. Harder, he will recommend helpful instruments and products to keep your teeth and gums healthy year-round. By practicing and adopting a regular oral hygiene regime at home, you can reduce your risk for common oral health problems as well as the potential for serious infection or damage along the way.
The foods you eat can help or hinder your smile and body. When consuming too many sugars and starches, you may notice your waistline grows, but your teeth and gum tissues can deteriorate and weaken over time as well. Incorporating healthy foods will help you to maintain better gum health and stronger tooth enamel, both of which are important to avoid dental emergencies. With stronger, more durable teeth, you are not as susceptible to chips, cracks, and breaks. And with healthy gum tissue, you can worry less about potential bacteria attacking your soft tissues, bone, and teeth.
A customized mouthguard is a great investment, especially if you play sports or tend to grind your teeth while asleep. Bruxism and sports-related injuries are common, and both can have you visiting your emergency dental office in Moses Lake if you’re not careful. The likeliness of worn tooth enamel, as well as a knocked-out tooth or soft tissue injury, can be reduced when wearing a custom-made mouthguard designed just for you. These unique appliances absorb pressure and force, keeping your teeth and gums firmly intact and free of serious damage.
Scissors, pliers, hammers, and other tools are designed to open packages and containers as well as remove bottle caps. Your teeth are not. Their purpose is to cut and chew through food only. While they are durable, they’re not indestructible, which means if you use your teeth as tools, you run the risk of seriously damaging your pearly whites as well as your soft tissues. Do your smile a favor and find the right tools for the job.
Finding the right emergency dentist in Moses Lake doesn’t have to be a struggle. Dr. Craig Harder and our team at Moses Lake Family Dentistry are here to deliver timely help when you need it most. We know there are many questions that our patients have when it comes to avoiding and dealing with dental emergencies. Although all the above-mentioned information is helpful, we also understand other concerns are swirling in your mind. To help you attain clarity and feel more at ease when faced with a serious dental injury, we’ve answered some of the most common questions asked by our patients. Review the information below and contact us to schedule an appointment.
Whether it is bugging you before you go to bed or waking you in the middle of the night, tooth pain can be a real bother. Should you experience this problem, make sure you elevate your head to keep blood from rushing to this area of your body and causing greater discomfort. You can also take an over-the-counter pain reliever and limit/avoid cold, acidic, and hard foods before bedtime.
You may also find that applying a cold compress to your cheek can minimize some of the discomforts you may experience.
It is actually illegal for anyone who is not a licensed dentist to perform a tooth extraction. Without the proper training and education, the procedure can be harmful, even if performed by a doctor in the hospital. The only reprieve you’ll receive at the ER is antibiotics and pain medication. However, you’ll still need to see Dr. Harder to address the underlying problem. It may even be that removing the tooth is not necessary but instead, a root canal can eliminate the discomfort and avoid tooth extraction altogether.
Visiting your dentist is the only way to know for sure if the tooth pain you’re experiencing should be treated with an extraction.
According to the American Dental Association (ADA), tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the body. While this is great news, it doesn’t mean it’s indestructible. Should this hard outer layer become damaging, it cannot heal on its own. As a result, if you chip a tooth, do not expect it to grow back, no matter how minor or severe. Instead, the tooth can remineralize, but this doesn’t mean it actually “grows back.”
The only way to treat the problem is to receive restorative or cosmetic dentistry. Many services are designed to change the shape of a damaged tooth (i.e., dental crown, veneers, cosmetic bonding, etc.).
No, it’s not a good idea to use toothpicks to try and remove something from in between your teeth. Those made of wood, especially, are dangerous and can push the object further into your gum line or break off, splintering inside your mouth. It is also possible to accidentally swallow a toothpick. Any of these situations can result in a serious dental emergency in Moses Lake.
Instead, use dental floss or a water irrigator to remove the lodged object.
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