Emergency Dentist – West Hartford, CT, Avon, CT
Same-Day Care to Address Your Immediate Dental Needs
No dental injury is too complicated for our team of skilled dentists and specialists. At Blue Back Dental, we can treat all types of cases. And because we understand that dental emergencies don’t always occur during normal hours, we are available to provide same-day service as well as weekend care should you or your child suffer a serious injury. Give us a call to let us help you get the immediate attention you need from our emergency dentists in West Hartford and Avon.
Why Choose Blue Back Dental for Emergency Dentistry?
- Same-Day Emergency Dental Appointments Available
- Skilled Dentists & Specialists Provide Immediate Care
- Natural-Looking, High-Quality Restorations
How We Treat Dental Emergencies
- Call to schedule an appointment: When you first call our dental office to schedule an appointment, we’ll survey the severity of the problem and work quickly to try and get you in as soon as possible. In the meantime, we’ll offer helpful first-aid tips to ensure you do not further damage your smile.
- Undergo a thorough examination: Our team will begin to take diagnostic images of your smile to pinpoint the area of concern. We’ll make notes to determine how best to approach the issue and decide if you require further treatment.
- Review our findings: Once we have compiled our findings, we will craft a personalized treatment plan and go over it with you so that you are not surprised by our process.
- Address the problem area: We’ll work to get you out of any pain as well as treat the underlying problem to improve the state and future of your smile.
The Most Common Dental Emergencies
It’s not always easy trying to determine if you should go to the dentist’s office for a dental emergency. What may look minimal to you might actually cause more serious issues if left untreated. This is why we encourage you to call our office if you experience any pain throughout your mouth or jaw. You can also review the most common dental emergencies we treat in-house so that you are better prepared should one occur.
Understanding the Cost of Dental Emergencies
How much you can expect to pay for your dental emergency treatment depends on various factors that our team will determine during your appointment. There is no set price because each injury is different, as is each person. The severity of the damage, the type of restorative care needed, and how you plan to pay are all considerations. But don’t worry, as our team will work with you to ensure that you get the maximum from your insurance company and avoid paying high out-of-pocket costs.
Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies
If you want to avoid experiencing a painful dental injury, putting everything you’re doing on hold to schedule an emergency exam, and spending money on restorative care, you’ll want to adopt some of the following tips. While they won’t completely eliminate the risk of needing same-day care, they will significantly lower it. So, make sure that you:
Eat Healthy, Nutrient-Dense Foods
Remember, what you eat has the potential to impact your oral health – for better or for worse. That’s why it’s so important that you stick to a healthy, well-balanced diet. Also, keep potato chips, ice cream, and other starchy and sugary snacks to a minimum since they increase your risk of tooth decay.
Tip: Make water your go-to drink! It will keep you hydrated, help prevent dry mouth, and remove residue from your teeth.
Maintain a Good Oral Hygiene Regimen At Home
Of course, taking good care of your smile each and every day is crucial. Patients often assume that starts and ends with daily brushing, flossing, and rinsing, but there’s actually more to it. For example, you should soak your toothbrush in hot water periodically to clean it, and you should replace it every three or four months so you aren’t using frayed, old bristles to clean your teeth.
Keep Up with Regular Dental Checkups and Cleanings
Remember, you shouldn’t wait to schedule an appointment until you’re in pain. At that point, something is probably already wrong; we want to intervene before that happens. With routine checkups and cleanings, we can catch early warning signs of trouble, screen for oral cancer every six months, and remove plaque and tartar before they negatively impact your teeth and gums.
Protect Your Mouth From Harm
More specifically, wear a mouthguard if you play sports or are active – whether you run, ride your bike, or skateboard. You should also wear a nightguard if you grind or clench your teeth at night. This may seem like a harmless habit, but it can quickly lead to chips and cracks in your enamel, dramatically increasing your risk of a sudden dental emergency. So, don’t wait – call us so we can have one made!
Don’t Use Your Teeth as Tools
Remember, your teeth are not meant to be used as tools. So, in addition to not using tobacco products, we recommend not using your teeth to remove plastic wrapping, open packages, or take off bottle caps. They also shouldn’t be used to break up ice cubes or bite your nails. If you’ve adopted one or more of these unhealthy habits over the years, now is the perfect time to put a plan in place to quit!
Dental Emergency FAQs
Whether you just experienced a sharp pain when biting down, or you’ve been struggling with a toothache for several weeks now, you might have lots of questions on your mind, starting with “What should I do?” Our team at Blue Back Dental is just a call away to answer any questions you have, but we also know that it isn’t always convenient to get on the phone. So, we’ve dedicated this next section to answering FAQs about emergency dentistry!
Will my toothache go away on its own?
Unfortunately, tooth decay, gum disease, and other oral health problems cannot heal on their own. That’s why it’s so important to get in touch with our West Hartford emergency dental team when you first notice something unusual, like pain when biting down. If you don’t, then the root of the problem will continue to worsen, negatively impacting your oral and overall health in the process.
How should I sleep with tooth pain?
Although we offer same-day emergency dental care, there are some cases where you may need to wait a day or two for an appointment, like if you are currently traveling for work. In cases like this, it can be helpful to know how to sleep with tooth pain. First, we recommend sticking to soft, nutrient-dense foods during dinner, like soup, eggs, or unsweetened yogurt. Then, complete your oral hygiene routine, prop yourself up on some pillows, and take an OTC pain reliever about 30 minutes before going to sleep.
Should I visit the emergency room first for dental emergencies?
There’s really only one reason you should go to the ER instead of the dentist: if you’re experiencing potentially life-threatening symptoms, like trouble breathing or uncontrollable bleeding. If you go to the ER because of a cavity, there isn’t anything they can do outside of alleviating your discomfort because they don’t usually have dentists on-staff. So, if you have a persistent toothache, loose restoration, knocked-out tooth, or something similar, your first call should be to your dental team.
Do chipped teeth heal?
No, a chipped tooth won’t heal on its own. In order to restore the missing structure of your tooth, alleviate any discomfort you’re feeling, and make sure that your surrounding teeth and gums weren’t damaged in the process, you need to come in for an appointment.
My chipped tooth doesn’t hurt. Do I still need to visit?
Yes, even if your chipped tooth doesn’t hurt, you need to come in for an exam. That way, we can make sure it isn’t at risk of developing an infection or breaking further. If it is, then we can intervene right away with the necessary restorative or cosmetic care.
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