Emergency Dentist – Arundel, ME 

We Treat Your Emergency Right Away

Man with coffee mug holding his cheek in pain needing emergency dentist in Arundel

If you suffer a dental emergency, our team at Arundel Family Dentistry is here to help. Offering same-day dental appointments Monday through Thursday, we will work quickly to deliver immediate care so that your smile can be fully restored and pain-free. From toothaches to knocked-out teeth and even lost dental restorations, we have the skills and technology to address the problem and eradicate the pain. If you sustain a dental injury and need help, call us for fast emergency dentistry in Arundel.

Why Choose Arundel Family Dentistry for Emergency Dentistry?

  • Same-Day Dental Appointments Available
  • Sedation Dentistry for Anxious Patients
  • We Will Maximize Your Dental Benefits

How We Treat Dental Emergencies

Young woman holding side of face in pain while visiting emergency dentist in Arundel

The moment you call our office to alert us to a dental injury you have sustained, we will get to work to determine its severity and schedule an appointment for you to come in. In the meantime, we’ll offer helpful tips you can use to minimize pain and avoid further harm while at home. Once you arrive at our Arundel dental office, we’ll begin to take digital images of your smile and pinpoint the problem area. After compiling our findings, we’ll review the problem and formulate a treatment plan that works to address the issue. Once you agree to a course of action, we’ll get started and help you achieve relief from the pain.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

At Arundel Family Dentistry, we treat dental emergencies of all types. We strongly suggest that patients do not go to the ER unless they are continually bleeding, experiencing swelling that hinders their ability to swallow, or are suffering from a broken or fractured jaw. Otherwise, we can provide the necessary care to help those dealing with…

Understanding the Cost of Dental Emergencies

Blonde woman shaking hands with dental team member

If you’re unsure whether your dental insurance company offers coverage for emergencies, you’ll need to review your plan or have a member of our team do it for you. Most insurers offer one fully covered emergency dental exam each year, and it may also help offset the cost of the restorative care you will likely need. Our team will identify ways to maximize your benefits so that you save money while repairing your smile.

Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies

Woman smiling while brushing her teeth

If you want to reduce the likelihood of needing to see our emergency dentist, there are a few things you can do, such as:

  • Wear a mouthguard if you participate in sports or grind your teeth
  • Eat healthy foods that consist of valuable nutrients and are less likely to cause cavities and gum disease
  • Continue to brush, floss, and rinse regularly to minimize infections
  • See your dentist every six months for professional dental checkups and teeth cleanings
  • Stop using your teeth as tools and give up bad habits like smoking
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Toothaches

Is my toothache a dental emergency? Pain in your tooth is often related to decay that has gone untreated for too long. If you have a toothache, it should be considered an emergency if:

  • You are in severe pain.
  • You are experiencing tooth sensitivity that doesn’t fade after 30 seconds.
  • The toothache persists for more than 24 hours.
  • A bump has appeared on your gums.
  • The tooth that’s in pain has a darkened appearance.
  • There are symptoms of an infection inside your mouth, such as swelling.

It’s best to have your toothache treated as soon as possible, so don’t waste any time in calling us.

How you should handle a toothache: First, floss around the tooth to get rid of any bits of food that might be the source of your discomfort. Then, if the pain persists after that, take ibuprofen or another kind of over-the-counter painkiller. If there’s swelling around the tooth, use a cold compress for 15 to 20-minute intervals.

How we treat toothaches: We’ll examine your tooth carefully to determine what’s causing your pain. The treatment we recommend will depend on our findings. For example, if your tooth is infected but still salvageable, we are likely to suggest root canal treatment. However, if the tooth cannot be saved for whatever reason, a tooth extraction may be needed as a last resort.

Learn More About Root Canal Treatment

Learn More About Tooth Extractions

Chipped Tooth      

Is a chipped tooth a dental emergency? With a chipped tooth, it’s often okay to wait a few days before seeing a dentist. That being said, even if the problem isn’t as urgent as other dental issues, you can’t afford to ignore it for too long. Leaving a chipped tooth alone could lead to an infection or even more severe damage.

How you should handle a chipped tooth: Save any large pieces of the tooth that have broken off, and use water to rinse away any shards that might still be in your mouth. Until you can be treated, the affected tooth should not be used for biting or chewing. Be sure to cover the edges of the tooth with dental wax if they’re sharp enough to injure the inside of your mouth.

How we treat chipped teeth: Step one is to examine your tooth and evaluate the state of the damage. Then we can consider the available options for restoration and choose the one that best suits your unique situation. For example, minor chips can often be repaired with a filling.

Cracked Tooth

Is a cracked tooth a dental emergency? Some cracks are larger than others, but even a seemingly small crack could leave your tooth susceptible to an infection. Contact us right away as soon as you realize that your tooth is cracked; you’ll need a professional to examine the area in order to accurately determine how severe the damage is.

How you should handle a cracked tooth: You don’t want the tooth to be injured any further, so make sure that you chew with the opposite side of your mouth for the time being. There may be harmful bacteria around the tooth, so remember to rinse your mouth with water at regular intervals. Take a pain reliever if your cracked tooth is causing you discomfort.

How we treat cracked teeth: Oftentimes a cracked tooth can be treated with a dental crown. The restoration will completely cover the damaged dental structure and protect it from further harm. However, if we determine that the cracked tooth is so badly damaged that it can no longer be repaired, we may need to extract it.

Learn More About Tooth Extractions

Very Sensitive Teeth

Are very sensitive teeth a dental emergency?

Tooth sensitivity occurs when the layers of tooth under your enamel or roots become exposed. If it is mild, this is not considered urgent and could be caused by things like over-aggressive brushing, whitening products, an acidic diet, or teeth grinding (bruxism).

However, tooth sensitivity is considered a dental emergency when the pain is severe, long-lasting, or only affects one or two teeth, as this could be the sign of a cracked tooth or filling, deep cavity, receding gums, gum disease, or even a tooth abscess or infection.

How you should handle sensitive teeth:

Should you experience sudden tooth sensitivity, contact Dr. Jung as soon as possible. You may be able to treat your sensitivity at home by adjusting some lifestyle factors such as your diet, brushing habits, or oral health products.

It is also possible that you will need to see Dr. Jung for treatment; in the meantime, drink plenty of lukewarm water to keep your mouth clean, avoid spicy, acidic, and sweet foods and beverages, and take care of any discomfort with an over-the-counter pain reliever like acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

How we treat tooth sensitivity:

The treatment Dr. Jung provides your tooth sensitivity depends on its cause. If it is caused by enamel erosion, he may recommend that you switch to a desensitizing toothpaste, prescription mouthwash, or topical fluoride treatment. If you are diagnosed with gum disease or a tooth infection, this could require treatment with antibiotics or even a gum graft procedure.

Learn More About Tooth-Colored Fillings

Learn More About Gum Disease Therapy

Learn More About Root Canal Therapy

Knocked-Out Tooth

Is a knocked-out tooth a dental emergency?

Yes, a knocked-out tooth is considered a dental emergency, and the faster you get treatment for it, the higher the odds of your dentist being able to save the tooth.

How you should handle a knocked-out tooth:

If you knock out a tooth, you should act immediately to protect the fallen tooth. At Arundel Family Dentistry, Dr. Jung recommends that you soak the tooth in milk or saliva or place it in an ADA approved tooth preservation kit. Be careful to never soak a fallen tooth in water, as this can damage it.

How we treat knocked-out teeth:

In some cases, if your tooth is not too damaged, Dr. Jung may be able to reimplant it so it can integrate back into place over time. However, if it cannot be saved, he can discuss your tooth replacement options. Failure to replace a lost tooth can cause many oral health problems down the road, and the longer you wait to replace it, the more serious they can become.

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?

Dental crowns and fillings typically last for around ten years. Sometimes, older ones can break or fall out. While this is not considered a dental emergency, you should still be seen by Dr. Jung as soon as you can, even if it doesn’t hurt. This is because once your tooth loses its restoration, it will become increasingly vulnerable to new infection, so give Arundel Family Dentistry a call as soon as possible to schedule an appointment.

How you should handle a lost filling or crown:

If you lose your filling or crown, first try to locate the restoration and bring it with you to your appointment with Dr. Jung. It may be possible to temporarily reseat your crown using an OTC dental cement product; however, Dr. Jung does not recommend you use this type of adhesive to repair a dental filling.

How we treat lost fillings or crowns:

For a crown that is still mostly intact, Dr. Jung may be able to re-cement it back into place if possible. Unfortunately, however, if it is too severely damaged or if you have lost the restoration, we will need to create a new one for you.

Learn More About Tooth-Colored Fillings

Learn More About Dental Crowns

Broken Denture

Loose Permanent Tooth

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Jaw Pain

Something Stuck Between the Teeth