Emergency Dentist — Mt. Holly, NJ

No Two Dental Emergencies Are the Same

Every smile is different, as is every injury, cavity, and other oral health problem. Therefore, the cost of emergency dentistry in Mt. Holly varies significantly from one patient to the next. The only way to know how much it will cost to repair your smile is to schedule a visit with one of our dentists. At that point, we can pinpoint the source of the problem, craft a personalized treatment plan, and go over the fees associated with your care.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?

The majority of dental insurance plans do provide some coverage for emergencies. For instance, it’s quite common for policies to cover one emergency exam each year. Many of the procedures commonly used to treat broken or hurting teeth, such as crown, fillings, and root canals, are often covered at about 50-80%. Of course, this depends on your plan’s specifics.

If you have dental insurance, then you can count on being able to save when you visit Mt. Holly Family Dentistry. We’ll file claims for most PPO dental plans and make sure you’re getting the most of your benefits.

Other Options for Making Dental Emergencies Affordable

If you’re worried that you won’t be able to afford to see an emergency dentist in Mt. Holly, don’t be! Even without insurance, there are other ways of healing your smile without draining your bank account. Thanks to our partnership with CareCredit, qualified patients can pay for their treatments in monthly installments. These payment plans come with extremely low or even zero interest, making it easy to fit into most budgets. Ask a member of our team about CareCredit, and they’d be happy to help you with the application!

Save Money by Taking Good Care of Your Smile

After you’ve gone through the ordeal that is a dental emergency, the last thing you want to do is deal with another one. While emergencies can’t always be prevented, daily brushing and flossing go a long way toward keeping your teeth strong, healthy, and free of infection and decay. Investing in quality oral hygiene products and routine dental checkups can pay huge dividends by helping you avoid emergency care costs.

Another way to reduce your risk of being saddled with huge dental bills is to never ignore any oral health issues you might be facing. For example, a mild toothache may not seem like a huge deal, but treating it early could prevent it from worsening and requiring even more expensive procedures down the road. Plus, you can get back to a pain-free smile much more quickly!

Visit Your Dentist Regularly

Biannual dental visits consist of dental cleanings and checkups. During your dental cleaning, a trained hygienist will remove tough plaque and tartar that you couldn’t address on your own. This professional cleaning will lower your risk of decayed, damaged, weakened, or infected teeth. Additionally, the checkup portion of your visit allows us to catch any dental issues while they are still small, preventing them from turning into a real dental emergency. With these preventive visits, we can protect your smile and lower your chances of needing to visit an emergency dental office in Mt Holly.

Maintain Good Oral Hygiene At Home

Dental visits are important, however it’s up to you to maintain your smile on a day-to-day basis. Make sure that you brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes each. Pay close attention to your gumline and back molars (the teeth you use to chew). Also, floss once a day to remove food debris and bacteria from between your teeth. Create a “C” shape with the floss around each side of your teeth for the most thorough cleaning. You can add a mouthwash to your oral healthcare routine – just make sure that it doesn’t contain alcohol. This ingredient dries out the mouth, which promotes growth of bacteria that can cause infection.

Eat a Nutritious Diet

The foods you eat can put your teeth at risk. An extra hard, sticky, sugary, or acidic diet can weaken your smile, making it more susceptible to cavities, decay, and other dental issues. Instead, try to eat healthy foods, including fruits and vegetables. These healthy snacks act as natural toothbrushes, scrubbing away plaque and bacteria as you chew. They also help stimulate saliva flow, which washes away sugars and acid in the mouth. Additionally, try adding foods rich in vitamin C and calcium to your diet to keep your teeth and jawbone strong.

Wear a Mouthguard

Sports or physical activity are some of the leading causes of dental emergencies. In order to mitigate the chance of a cracked, broken, or lost tooth, wear a mouthguard. Our mouthguards are custom-made, comfortable oral appliances that effectively protect the teeth. You should also wear a nightguard if you suffer from bruxism (teeth grinding) to prevent unnecessary wear that weakens the smile.

Use Tools to Open Packages, Not Your Teeth

Hazardous habits like using your teeth to open bottles or packages are quick ways to give yourself a dental emergency. Instead, use scissors or bottle openers. As a rule of thumb, only use your smile for chewing, speaking, and grinning. You should also avoid chewing on non-food items like pens or ice because they will damage your teeth.

Should I Go to the ER or an Emergency Dentist?

Making important decisions during stressful moments, like driving to your local ER or your emergency dentist, can be difficult. After taking a deep breath and assessing your situation, ask yourself these three questions, if you answer “yes” to any of them, you should visit your local emergency room for medical attention:

• Do I have a deep facial laceration that could need stitches?
• Am I having trouble breathing or swallowing?
• Is my jaw fractured or broken?

Once you receive the medical attention you need, be sure to contact our dental office so we can schedule an appointment to take care of your dental needs.

Will My Toothache Go Away On Its Own?

As much as we’d all like to avoid an unexpected visit to an emergency dentist and hope for the best, it’s not likely that your toothache will go away on its own. If it does, it could be a sign that an infection has killed the nerves inside of your tooth, meaning you could require immediate extraction.

As soon as you notice that you have a toothache, try to gently floss around the affected area and rinse with salt water. If your pain persists, it’s likely the result of an infection. Leaving this situation untreated could result in permanent damage to your mouth, which is why we suggest getting to our dental office as soon as possible if you’re experiencing severe oral pain.

How Can I Treat Dental Pain at Home?

It’s a good idea to contact our dental office directly so we can assess your situation before recommending pain relief methods. Once we determine what’s safe to do, we may suggest one of the following:

• Use over-the-counter pain medication such as ibuprofen.
• Place a cold compress on the area for 10 minutes on, 10 minutes off.
• Rinse with a lukewarm salt water solution.

What’s Causing My Face to Swell?

If you’re experiencing facial swelling, it could be a result of a tooth infection or dental trauma. If there’s damage to your teeth or gums, be sure to contact your emergency dentist immediately so we can establish a treatment plan. To help ease your pain and bring down any puffiness in the meantime, you can place a cold compress on the affected area for up to an hour in 10-minute increments.