Emergency Dentist — Newton, MA

Why Choose Newton Corner Dental for Emergency Dental Care?

• Same-Day Appointments Available
• Highly Skilled Team with Years of Experience
• Patient Comfort Always Comes First

What to Do in a Dental Emergency

• Contact us right away. Time is of the essence in any emergency situation, which is why you need to contact us right away. The sooner you get to our office, the better chance we have of saving your smile.
• Have an emergency exam. When you get to our office, we’ll conduct a detailed oral examination to identify the cause of your emergency. Using our findings, we’ll create a custom treatment plan to get your oral health back on the right track.
• Get the care you need. We might be able to temporarily address your emergency during your appointment. However, you will likely have to return for additional services like fillings, root canal therapy, gum disease treatment, or extraction.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

Immediately after a dental emergency has occurred, the very first thing you should do is contact our dental office. Explain your situation, and we’ll let you know whether or not you need to come see us immediately. We can also walk you through some first-aid tips over the phone. While it’s important that you come to see us quickly, below are a few steps you can take on your own to provide some temporary relief.

Understanding the Cost of Dental Emergencies

Many people worry that they won’t be able to afford emergency dental care, and as a result, they don’t seek out treatment. This is always a mistake as oral health problems do not get better on their own. Acting quickly will allow us to handle a situation before it inevitably becomes much worse and requires more extensive care. To help make any necessary services more affordable, we’re happy to accept all dental insurance plans, and we offer low-to-no-interest financing as well. Keep reading to learn about the cost of emergency dentistry in Newton so that you know what to expect.

Learn More

Every Dental Emergency is Unique

Since no two dental situations will be the same, you won’t expect to pay a set fee for your emergency treatment. Fixing a minorly chipped, cracked, or otherwise damaged tooth will cost much less than saving one that’s been knocked out or performing root canal therapy. Our team will first need to evaluate your situation and determine the best approach for preserving your smile and oral health. During your visit, we’ll discuss your options and provide an accurate cost estimate so there won’t be any surprises on your bill.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?

While there are certain differences in policies, nearly every dental insurance company will offer coverage for some or the total cost of at least one emergency exam annually. Most of the common treatments involved in urgent dental situations will be covered in some form, typically between 50-80% based on the specifics of your insurance plan. That’s why you’ll need to review the details of your policy with your provider so you’ll know what’s covered. Our team can also help you navigate your benefits so that you can make the most of them.

Other Options for Making Dental Emergencies Affordable

Even if you don’t currently have a dental insurance plan, it doesn’t mean you’ll have to pay completely out-of-pocket. Our team wants to ensure that you receive the dental care you need without having to stress about the cost of your treatment. For this reason, we’re proud to work with CareCredit, which offers little-to-no interest plans that split up the overall price of your procedures into monthly installments! This means you can have a much more stress-free experience undergoing the necessary care to improve your smile.

Taking Care of Your Smile Can Save You Money

Although we can try to help make your emergency dental treatment more manageable for you, the best way to minimize your expenses is by taking preventive measures ahead of time. Even if you aren’t experiencing much discomfort or the situation doesn’t seem urgent, you shouldn’t take a wait-and-see approach to your oral health. Instead of allowing an underlying issue to potentially get worse, make sure to visit our team every six months for checkups and cleanings. You should also practice good oral hygiene every day at home to further reduce your chances of developing problems with your smile. These simple tips can make all the difference in avoiding the cost of dental emergencies.

Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies

While having an emergency dentist nearby is nice, you’d probably prefer to avoid a painful or broken tooth in the first place, right? Although accidents aren’t 100% preventable, there are several steps you can take to drastically reduce your risk of experiencing a knocked-out, cracked, chipped, or otherwise damaged tooth. With this in mind, read on to learn a few ways you can help protect your smile from a dental emergency!

Root Canal Therapy

A root canal removes the diseased or infected part of the tooth. It also removes the nerve from a severely broken tooth, allowing the tooth to be saved. You may need a root canal if you have an extreme toothache, usually associated with swelling in your jaw around the tooth.

Learn More About Root Canal Therapy

Dental Emergency FAQs 

Even under perfectly ideal circumstances, dealing with a dental emergency is no one’s idea of a good time. You have to stop everything you’re doing to travel to the office of your emergency dentist as soon as you can. Additionally, most people have no idea what to do when they’re suddenly faced with a dental emergency. To help you out, we’ve compiled and answered this list of frequently asked questions about emergency dentistry.

How Do I Know If I Have a Dental Emergency?

There are many different kinds of dental problems, from a mild toothache to a completely dislodged tooth, so it can be hard to tell which ones warrant giving us a call. As a rule of thumb, the most common signs that you need emergency care are intense pain, bleeding from the mouth, and teeth that are broken, loose, or missing altogether. Even if you’re unsure that what you’re going through counts as a dental emergency, it’s best to be on the safe side and call us anyway. Ignoring and putting off treatment for even a small dental issue can cause the problem to worsen in the future.

What If My Toothache Goes Away on Its Own?

If your tooth pain subsides, you might at first be relieved. You may be under the impression that if your toothache fades away by itself, the tooth has healed. Unfortunately, if your toothache was due to an infection, it usually means the exact opposite. Typically, when a toothache goes away on its own, it means that the infection has spread to the nerve in the center of the tooth, effectively “killing” the tooth. The brain no longer receives pain signals from the tooth, which is why you don’t feel any discomfort. At this point, your tooth may need to be extracted, unless we can save it with root canal therapy.

Are Sensitive Teeth Considered a Dental Emergency?

In the short term, tooth sensitivity is typically not treated as a dental emergency. However, if your sensitivity is confined to a single tooth or area of your mouth, that is a different matter. It could be a sign that your tooth or gums are infected. In this case, it’s better to err on the side of caution and give us a call. Sometimes all you need is a prescription of desensitizing toothpaste or antibiotics, but in other cases, you might require a root canal or gum disease therapy.

Should I Go to the Emergency Room?

When you’re dealing with a dental emergency, your first instinct might be to call your local hospital. However, this should only be done as a last resort, such as if we are closed and you have knocked out a tooth. Some oral health problems are best treated in the emergency room, such as a broken jaw, profuse bleeding, or extreme swelling of the mouth or throat.

For the majority of other dental emergencies, though, you’re much better off calling our office. Most emergency rooms don’t have a dentist on staff, so they’re not equipped to deal with urgent oral health issues like we are. At best, ER doctors may be able to prescribe antibiotics or pain medication, but they typically can’t address the root of the problem in the way that we can.