Emergency Dentistry Parsippany

Urgent Treatment for Smiles in Need

A dental emergency can take anyone by surprise. While caring for your teeth with regular hygiene and trips to the dentist can help you avoid a toothache or other oral health problems, you simply can’t plan for a dental injury like a knocked-out or broken tooth. If you or someone you are close to experiencing a dental emergency, you will need to find a professional who can help by providing you with fast, pain-relieving treatment. Fortunately, the team at Rauchberg Dental Group provides high-quality emergency dentistry for Parsippany families. Keep reading to find out more about how their attention can help rescue your smile when you need it most!

Why Choose Rauchberg Dental Group for Emergency Dental Care?

  • Same-Day Emergency Appointments Available
  • Availability on Weekends and Evenings
  • Multiple Specialists Under One Roof

What to Do in a Dental Emergency

  • Get a same-day appointment ASAP: Give our dental office a call so we can provide guidance for your situation and schedule an appointment for you as soon as possible. A team member will be happy to offer first-aid tips over the phone until you arrive at our practice.
  • Complete an emergency exam with our team: After you arrive, you’ll be brought to one of our dental chairs and potentially receive a digital X-ray if necessary. This will help our dentists confirm the source and severity of your symptoms as well as assist them in determining the best way to get you out of any immediate pain.
  • Listen to our findings and treatment recommendations: We’ll break down our findings with you one-on-one and ensure you’re fully informed of the situation so you can make an informed decision when we recommend a treatment plan. This will include estimated costs as well, so you’re never caught off guard by surprise fees.
  • Get the care you need fast: Whatever treatment it is that you need, we’ll work quickly to perform it so you can stop your emergency from getting worse and get back to living your life free of dental pain.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

Many patients delay getting the emergency treatment they need because they are unsure if what they are experiencing counts as a “real emergency.” We cannot stress enough the importance of giving us a call even if you aren’t sure you’re dealing with one. Getting professional care could mean the difference in saving the tooth or not. If you experience any of the following emergencies below, don’t wait to get in touch.

Understanding the Cost of Dental Emergencies 

Each dental emergency is different, meaning every situation requires a separate treatment plan with different associated costs. With that said, you don’t have to worry – we will provide you with a price estimate upfront. So please do not hesitate to get in touch with our office the next time you or a loved one needs emergency dental care. In the meantime, you can read on to learn more on the topic, including the factors that impact the price.

Every Dental Emergency is Different – Here’s Why

Man smiling at dentist in treatment chair

We mentioned above that every situation is unique. It’s true! In fact, even two patients who are visiting us because they are dealing with a severe toothache might need two completely different treatments. Rest assured, we will provide you with an estimate of the cost after looking at your latest X-rays, conducting a visual exam, and reviewing all of your treatment options. We will also discuss the financial solutions we welcome at our office (more on that in the next sections).

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?

Patient reviewing dental insurance form on tablet

In addition to covering the cost of essential preventive care, many dental insurance providers cover a portion of the cost of restorative treatments, like tooth-colored fillings, dental crowns, and root canals. Some plans also include additional perks, like a free emergency exam each year, which is why we always recommend reading through the fine print. If you need any help, let us know! We’re proud to be in-network with several providers, and we’d be happy to assist you with utilizing your available coverage.

Other Options for Making Dental Emergencies Affordable

Smiling dental assistant showing patient forms

Don’t have dental insurance? That’s okay – that’s not the only financial solution available. At our office, we offer our patients a membership plan, which comes with valuable discounts and no waiting periods, annual maximums, or yearly deductibles. We also welcome flexible financing with CareCredit. That way, the cost of the restorative and cosmetic dentistry you need easily fits within your monthly budget.

How Taking Care Of Your Smile Can Save You Money

Patient smiling at reflection in handheld mirror

If you’re worried about how much you’ll owe for dental treatment, you may initially think that you could save money by putting it off until later. But that’s precisely what you shouldn’t do, especially since oral health problems only get worse with time! As a result, you’ll end up spending more down the road than you would have if you had visited our emergency dentist in Parsippany when you first realized that something was wrong.

Important reminder: Many common dental problems, including cavities, are largely preventable. So, if you want to reduce your chances of needing same-day care, you need to prioritize healthy habits, like brushing, flossing, and rinsing with mouthwash.

Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies

Your emergency dentist in Parsippany is always just a phone call away if you’re in pain and need help. With that said, we also want to prevent that from happening. Below, you will find a few steps you can take to protect your smile from harm, starting with scheduling a dental checkup and cleaning every six months.

Scheduling a Dental Visit Twice a Year

Woman smiling at reflection in handheld mirror

There’s a common misconception that dental checkups and cleanings are only necessary if something is wrong, like you have a toothache. That’s not the case! In fact, biannual visits to our office help catch and prevent common oral health problems, including tooth decay and gum disease. So, if it has been more than six months since you last visited our team at Rauchberg Dental Group, now is the time to get your next appointment on the calendar.

Brushing and Flossing Consistently

Closeup of woman flossing her teeth in bathroom

Prioritizing your at-home oral hygiene regimen will ensure your breath stays fresh, prevent stubborn stains from surfacing, and reduce your risk of developing common dental problems, like cavities. So, if you aren’t already, start brushing your teeth twice a day, every day. Additionally, floss and rinse with mouthwash before you go to bed at night to remove lingering food particles, plaque, and other debris.

Being Mindful of What You Eat

Woman smiling while eating healthy meal at home

Being mindful of what you eat is essential. After all, hard pretzels, peanut brittle, thin pizza crust, and other crunchy foods can cause your enamel to chip or crack. Similarly, sugary sweets, like ice cream, can lead to tooth decay if eaten in excess. Ultimately, the best thing for your oral and overall health is to eat mostly nutrient-dense, well-balanced meals. It’s also important to drink lots of water to stay hydrated and prevent dry mouth.

Wearing a Mouthguard During Sports

Smiling woman with yoga mat walking in park

Wearing a mouthguard when you’re active is essential, even if you participate in a non-contact sport. After all, it takes just one accidental elbow to your face, a bad fall, or a rogue ball to sustain a serious dental injury. A mouthguard will help protect your teeth and gums, especially a custom one that’s the appropriate thickness. If you’re still using a one-size-fits-all one that you bought online or at a sporting goods store, then schedule an appointment with our Parsippany dental team so we can have a custom one made.

Not Using Your Teeth as Tools

Closeup of woman biting her nails

Do you sometimes use your teeth to remove plastic wrapping? Do you put your keys in your mouth when your hands are full? Do you bite your nails when you’re nervous or stressed? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you’re at an increased risk of sustaining a dental injury. That’s why we always encourage our patients to use the proper tools, like scissors, as well as avoid chewing on ice, pens, popcorn kernels, and other hard items.

Dental Emergency FAQs

Should I visit the ER or an emergency dentist?

In the midst of a stressful dental emergency, it can be hard to make a clear decision about whether you should visit your local ER or an emergency dentist. In most cases, visiting an emergency dentist is your best bet because it will ensure that you get the specialized care you need to make sure that the issue doesn’t come back. However, there are certain situations that may require immediate medical attention before our team is able to address your dental needs. These include broken or fractured jawbones, deep facial lacerations that require stitches, and any issue that’s impacting your ability to easily breathe or swallow. In these cases, it’s imperative that you go to your ER. Once you’re stabilized, you can contact our dental office to schedule an emergency appointment and address your dental needs.

If you’re ever in doubt about where you need to go, you can speak with our team and tell them your symptoms. We’ll be more than happy to help guide you to the facilities where you need to be at.

Will I need to get a root canal?

Many patients are horrified to hear that they need a root canal because they only know its terrible reputation. However, this treatment allows us to actually ease many patients’ severe tooth pain as well as preserve their natural smile. Patients who require root canal therapy are often experiencing painful toothaches that keep them from being able to focus on work or wake them up in the middle of the night. These are often a result of an infection hidden deep beneath the surface that’s attacking the sensitive pulp. The best way to learn whether you need a root canal is to visit our dental office so we can examine your mouth and diagnose the issue that’s causing you pain.

How can I get rid of facial swelling?

If you’re experiencing facial swelling due to an infection or trauma, you can place a cold compress on the outside of your face for 10 minutes on, 10 minutes off, for up to an hour. This will bring down any puffiness as well as ease any pain that you’re experiencing.

More to Explore

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Toothaches

Is my toothache a dental emergency? If you’re experiencing abnormal symptoms, such as bleeding gums, pain when biting down, or unexplained sensitivity, you shouldn’t hesitate to contact our Parsippany office. After you’ve explained your symptoms, we’ll let you know when you need to come in for emergency treatment.

How you should handle a toothache: There are a few ways you can manage your symptoms while you’re waiting for your appointment. Avoid eating anything hot or spicy, as these items can cause further irritation. You can also rinse with saltwater periodically, take over-the-counter pain medication as directed, and keep your head elevated if you’re going to sleep, since this reduces the amount of blood flow in the mouth.

How we treat toothaches: Toothaches often stem from untreated decay that has triggered an infection in the tooth. During your appointment, we’ll perform an examination to determine if this or something else is causing your pain. From there, we’ll review your treatment options; simple cavities can usually be handled with a filling, while more advanced cases might require a root canal.

Learn More About Root Canal Therapy

Learn More About Tooth Extractions

Learn More About Gum Disease Treatment

Chipped Tooth     

Is a chipped tooth a dental emergency? A chipped tooth might not always seem serious, but if you’re dealing with considerable sensitivity, then the inner layers of your teeth might be exposed—and this warrants same-day care.

How you should handle a chipped tooth: You need to do what you can to protect your tooth from further harm; one of the best things you can do is rinse regularly with clean, room-temperature water to help keep your mouth clean. You should also avoid crunchy or hard foods and avoid chewing on that side of your mouth. Also, focus on getting to our office as soon as you can so we can assess the damage and review your treatment options.

How we treat chipped teeth: There are multiple ways we can go about restoring your tooth; one of the most common treatments for chipped teeth is dental bonding. Veneers can also be used to perfectly mask these flaws. However, if the chipping is quite severe, a treatment that’s more restorative in nature, like a crown, may be considered.

Learn More About Dental Bonding

Learn More About Veneers

Cracked Tooth

Is a cracked tooth a dental emergency? Whether there’s a small, hardly visible crack in one of your teeth or a large, obvious fracture that’s caused considerable damage, you shouldn't hesitate to let our team know. Teeth cannot heal on their own, so once we know what we’re dealing with, we can schedule a same-day appointment; in the meantime, we’ll let you know how to manage any symptoms.

How you should handle a cracked tooth: Don’t delay in calling us; however, you should also keep in mind that you need to protect your tooth from further damage. Don’t chew on that side of your mouth if possible, and try to stick to eating only soft foods. You should also rinse your mouth out with clean water periodically, and if you need to, use OTC pain medication to manage your discomfort.

How we treat cracked teeth: It’s often possible to cover a cracked tooth with a dental crown, which can restore it in terms of look, feel, and function. Minor cracks can be treated with dental bonding. However, in rare cases, if the tooth is too damaged to be repaired, we might have to consider extraction followed by replacement, such as with a dental implant.

Learn More About Dental Bonding

Learn More About Dental Crowns

Learn More About Tooth Extractions

Learn More About Dental Implants

Very Sensitive Teeth

Are Very Sensitive Teeth a Dental Emergency? That depends. For example, if the sensitivity is persistent or it’s getting worse with each passing day, then you should absolutely schedule an appointment with us so we can determine if an untreated oral health problem is the culprit.

How You Should Handle Very Sensitive Teeth Until your appointment with us, it’s best to avoid hot drinks, spicy foods, as well as anything else that could exacerbate your symptoms. Instead, stick to room-temperature water, eat softer, blander foods, and take OTC pain medication if needed.

How We Treat Very Sensitive Teeth First, we need to complete a comprehensive oral exam. Once we determine what the culprit is, we can determine the best way to treat it. If a small cavity is to blame, for instance, then we can restore your healthy, pain-free smile with a tooth-colored filling.

Knocked-Out Tooth

Is My Knocked-Out Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes, especially since the tooth begins to die after about 15 minutes of being knocked out. So, don’t wait – schedule an appointment with our emergency dentist in Parsippany ASAP.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Tooth Calling us and preserving the root surface cells of your tooth are both of the utmost importance. When it comes to the latter, make sure to pick up the tooth by the crown (the chewing surface) and place it back in its socket. If that would require force, then place it in some milk or saline solution instead.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Teeth First, we will try saving your tooth. If that’s not possible, don’t worry – that doesn’t mean you’ll be stuck with a gap in your smile moving forward. Instead, we can replace both the root and the crown with a dental implant, giving you a strong bite and a complete smile again.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL IMPLANTS

Lost Filling or Crown

Is a Lost Filling or Crown a Dental Emergency? If you can get to our office the same day, that’s ideal. However, if you’re out of town or you lose your restoration outside of our office hours, don’t fret – we can help you the following morning.

How You Should Handle a Lost Filling or Crown In addition to calling us to schedule an appointment, we recommend rinsing your mouth periodically with clean, room-temperature water, not chewing on that side of your mouth, and placing your restoration somewhere safe, like a small, clean container.

How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns Both a lost filling and a lost dental crown can be replaced with a new one. If you still have your dental crown and it’s relatively new, then we may re-cement it back in place instead. Ultimately, the treatment we recommend will depend entirely on your unique situation.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL CROWNS

Broken Denture

Is My Broken Denture a Dental Emergency? Since even relatively minor damage can irritate the soft tissue in your mouth and make it difficult to chew, we do recommend scheduling an appointment with us ASAP if you have a broken denture in Parsippany.

How You Should Handle a Broken Denture Calling us is priority number one. Once you have an appointment on the calendar, transition your focus to doing what you can to protect your denture from breaking further, like placing it in a clean container instead of wearing it.

How We Treat Broken Dentures First, we will see if we can repair your denture. If the damage is so severe that we cannot, then we will begin the process of having a new one made instead.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTURES

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL IMPLANTS

Loose Permanent Tooth

Is a Loose Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes, a loose permanent tooth is a dental emergency, especially since the chances of it falling out increase with each passing minute.

How You Should Handle Loose Permanent Teeth Basically, you need to avoid doing anything that could loosen your tooth further, like chewing on that side of your mouth. Instead, rinse periodically with clean, room-temperature water, stick to a soft foods diet, and get to our office as soon as you can.

How We Treat Loose Permanent Teeth Oftentimes, we can save the tooth with the help of a dental splint. If the tooth cannot be saved, then we will need to extract it. To ensure you don’t have a noticeable gap or compromised bite moving forward, we will fill the open space with a dental bridge or implant as well.

LEARN MORE ABOUT TOOTH EXTRACTIONS

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL IMPLANTS

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Is an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue a Dental Emergency? Typically, soft tissue injuries like these can be handled at home. With that said, you shouldn’t hesitate to call us if you have any questions, including if you’d benefit from scheduling an emergency visit.

How You Should Handle an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue After using clean, cool water to rinse your mouth, we recommend using gauze (or a damp, clean washcloth) to apply pressure to the cut. Once the bleeding has stopped, use a cold compress to alleviate any lingering inflammation.

How We Treat Injuries to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue Although soft tissue injuries don’t typically warrant an emergency visit to our office, you should head to the ER or call 911 if the cut is bleeding uncontrollably or you’re experiencing any potentially life-threatening symptoms.

Jaw Pain

Is Jaw Pain a Dental Emergency? A same-day visit usually isn’t necessary. That said, you shouldn’t hesitate to call us if you’ve been struggling with considerable jaw pain for 24+ hours.

How You Should Handle Jaw Pain In addition to using a cold compress for 10 minutes at a time, we recommend steering clear of crunchy foods and taking OTC pain medication as directed.

How We Treat Jaw Pain First, we need to take X-rays and complete a comprehensive oral exam to determine what the culprit is. If it’s impacted wisdom teeth, then we will need to extract them. If it’s chronic teeth grinding, then we will need to make a custom nightguard.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WISDOM TOOTH EXTRACTIONS

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

If something is stuck between your teeth, do NOT use a toothpick, tweezers, or any other sharp objects. Instead, rinse thoroughly with warm saltwater to loosen the debris. Then, use floss to gently clean between your teeth.