Emergency Dental Appointments in Grapevine

Dental emergencies crop up at the worst possible moments and can bring your plans and activities to a screeching halt. You miss an event. You beg off work. Or you suffer through an outing.

Dental emergencies can also be scary and debilitating. When you have tooth pain or damage to your teeth or restorations, panic may also ensue.

Our Grapevine, TX emergency dentist is here to help when you need it most. Our team is well-equipped to handle any dental emergency that arises.

Contact our dental office immediately at 817-481-1813 if you think you’re experiencing a dental health emergency. We want to treat you quickly!

• What are the signs of a dental emergency?
• What are the signs that I can wait a day or two?
• Can you save my tooth?
• What happens during my dental emergency appointment?
• Will emergency treatment be painful?
• Will my dental emergency compromise my future oral health?
• How can I avoid dental emergencies?

What are the signs of a dental emergency?

Dental emergencies vary by type. However, one of the most common signs of a dental emergency is a severe toothache—not mild tooth sensitivity but real pain. This can be a sign of infection, which can spread rapidly.

Occasionally, a dental emergency is more obvious and may include mild trauma like a ball to the face during a sporting event or an elbow to the cheek during daily life.

 Here are some symptoms that require immediate professional dental attention:

• Tooth pain
• Inflammation/swelling
• Broken, loosened, or knocked-out tooth
• Damaged restoration or denture
• Extreme sensitivity
• Gum problems or bleeding
• Discoloration of a tooth

When a dental emergency occurs, it can keep you from going to work or school or prevent you from sleeping restfully. A dental emergency can go from bad to worse without dentist intervention, which is another reason prompt treatment is necessary.

However, if you’ve suffered a trauma or accident, we recommend going to the emergency room first and getting in touch with Grapevine Dental from that location. We don’t want you to have a potentially dangerous issue following trauma without seeking medical care!

What are the signs that I can wait a day or two?

Our top Grapevine, TX emergency dentist recommends not guessing. When you’re not sure whether your situation is an emergency, contact our dental office. Our team can quickly assess your situation and make the determination.

However, mild tooth sensitivity or a whisper of blood following a bump to the cheek may be situations that can wait a day or two. This is provided there is no swelling, pain or other significant dental changes like a loose tooth or teeth shifting.

Don’t wait long if you experience even minor tooth sensitivity. This can be an early sign of a cavity or infection.

In any case, it is always better to let a member of our team determine whether your situation can wait.  

Can you save my tooth?

At Grapevine Dental, our first priority is saving your tooth if it has been knocked out or knocked loose. Timely intervention by our emergency dentist in Grapevine, TX is crucial when it comes to reattaching a tooth.

If your tooth has been knocked out, quickly rinse the tooth in water but avoid handling the root too much. Also, if possible, try to place the tooth back in the empty socket. If this is not doable, keep the tooth wet until the dentist sees you.

If your tooth has been knocked loose, avoid touching it and take measures to keep it from falling out completely. Don’t rock it with your tongue, and try to keep your mouth closed following your call to our dental office.  

What happens during my dental emergency appointment?

When you arrive at our Grapevine, TX dental office, you will be greeted by one of our friendly team members who will ask you some questions regarding your symptoms, when the trouble started, and if anything caused your current condition, such as an accident or sports injury.

We will take a digital dental x-ray of the area to assist Dr. Michael Colangelo with an accurate diagnosis. He will review the x-ray and perform an exam to gather valuable information.

An emergency dental exam is designed to provide palliative care. Dr. Colangelo will stabilize your tooth and address the pain or sensitivity you experience. In most cases, we can complete treatment on the spot. For complex emergencies, he will address the immediate issue and schedule a follow-up appointment to complete your dental treatment.

Remember, the approach used to treat your situation will always be based on the nature of your emergency.

The goal is saving your tooth and easing your pain.

When you leave our dental office, you will feel much better and have a plan of action to improve your oral health.

Will emergency treatment be painful?

If you have stayed away from the dentist because of anxiety, you are not alone. Millions of people feel the same way you do. Our team can make even the most nervous patients feel right at home. When our caring approach is not enough to put you at ease, nitrous oxide sedation dentistry will allow you to have painless, anxiety-free dental appointments.

It’s important to remember that dental emergencies are often caused by failure to visit the dentist regularly.

Our emergency dentist in Grapevine, TX will keep you relaxed and comfortable during your emergency treatment.

Will my dental emergency compromise my future oral health?

The most common dental emergencies we see at Grapevine Dental involve infections. Often these infections are brought on by failure to visit our dental office regularly for cleanings and exams or a lackluster oral hygiene routine at home.

An underlying chronic infection or dental issue can compromise your oral health even if you are not experiencing pain or swelling.

Allowing dental issues to linger and not seeking treatment until you are in pain can absolutely impact the future of your oral health. Also, recurring infections can lead to periodontal disease and tooth loss.

Our emergency dentist in Grapevine, TX recommends regular dental visits and teeth cleanings to avoid these types of emergencies.

A ball to the face at a sporting event or a tooth being knocked loose should not impact your future oral health, provided you follow aftercare instructions and maintain optimal oral health by visiting our dental office regularly.

How can I avoid dental emergencies?

Many dental emergencies occur due to neglect. We understand that patients stay away from the dental office for a number of reasons—not having a home dental office, fear of the dentist, or even concerns about your budget. We are here to help you get back on track with regular dental exams, professional cleanings, and high-quality dental restorations.

Our recommendations for avoiding dental emergencies fall in line with guidelines established by the American Dental Association

• Brush and floss at least twice per day
• Visit our top Grapevine dentist regularly for routine exams and x-rays
• Visit our dental hygienist at least twice per year or every six months.

Remember, our dentist will notice subtle changes in your oral health between visits, which is why it’s important to see our dentist regularly.

Further, even if you brush and floss twice per day at home, your toothbrush does not remove all bacteria. When bacteria are left behind, this can lead to dental emergencies and even tooth loss.

Other dental emergencies occur out of the blue and can happen to anyone. Our team will take excellent care of you and offer solution-based dental treatments.

If you play sports, we recommend the proper mouthguards to protect your teeth against stray balls or specific injuries to the mouth.

If you suffer from bruxism or teeth grinding and clenching—often during sleep—we recommend a nightguard to prevent enamel erosion. When enamel erodes, your teeth and gums are vulnerable to bacteria, cavities, and infections, which can result in a sudden dental emergency.

At Grapevine Dental, we make appointments easy for our patients and provide consistently gentle dentistry. We look forward to helping you improve your oral health by taking excellent care of you. You can expect world-class dentistry here at Grapevine Dental. What our patients enjoy even more is the easy-going and relaxing patient experience we provide, and this experience is also true during your emergency dental visit.

Your Grapevine dentist can handle your dental emergency

Patients sometimes wait to contact us, not sure whether they are experiencing a true dental emergency. Let our team guide you and take the worry out of unexpected dental emergencies by giving us a call right away.