Emergency Dentist — Pinehurst, NC

Getting You Relief When It’s Most Needed

Man and woman with healthy smiles thanks to emergency dentistry

At some point in your life, you might have a toothache that does not go away, or you might break a tooth while eating something hard. Such emergencies can be scary, but you’ll have an experienced, gentle dentist to help you if you call Olmsted Village Dental Care for an appointment. Dr. Hudson will arrange to see you right away and quickly get to the underlying source of your dental care need to treat it right away with emergency dentistry in Pinehurst.

Why Choose Olmsted Village Dental Care for Emergency Dental Care?

  • Well-Known and Trusted Dentist
  • One Stop for Comprehensive Dental Services
  • Oral Conscious Sedation Available

What to Do in a Dental Emergency

Woman in need of emergency dentistry holding cheek in pain
  • Call our office right away. The sooner you call, the better chance we have of solving your problem. We’ll schedule your appointment as soon as we can. Over the phone, we’ll provide first-aid instructions to help you manage your situation in the meantime.
  • See Dr. Hudson for an emergency exam. When you get to our office, Dr. Hudson will thoroughly assess the problem and take X-rays if needed. A detailed examination is necessary to confirm the source of your symptoms and figure out what’s needed to get your oral health back on track.
  • Get the care you need. Our team will work quickly to create a custom treatment plan that’ll get your emergency under control. Some common solutions for dental emergencies include dental fillings, crowns, root canal therapy, or even extraction.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

The first thing you should do in any dental emergency is call us immediately and schedule an appointment so we can figure out what treatments are needed to stop the problem before it grows worse. While you’re waiting for your visit, there are some steps you can take to control your pain and limit further damage. The steps you need to take for successful dental first aid depends on the kind of emergency you have; below are some common oral health issues and how they can be dealt with.

Understanding the Cost of Dental Emergencies 

Man in need of emergency dentistry holding his cheek in pain

It’s important to have a dental emergency treated immediately, but you need to be aware of the costs associated with the treatment. Some treatments are more costly than others; sometimes a minor restoration is all that’s needed, but more severe cases might call for a root canal or even an extraction. When emergency care is called for, our team will discuss pricing information with you and discuss how you can use insurance and financing to manage the associated costs.

 

How to Prevent Dental Emergencies

Woman smiling during dental checkup to preventive dental emergencies

Dental emergencies can strike without warning, and you can’t always avoid them. But there are steps you can take to protect your oral health, such as:

  • Wearing a protective mouthguard for sports or nighttime teeth grinding
  • Not biting on hard items like ice and fingernails
  • Using tools to open packages and bottles instead of your teeth
  • Brush and floss consistently every day
  • Come to our clinic every six months for a routine checkup and cleaning

Root Canals

Woman smiling after root canal therapy

Root canal therapy is often performed as an emergency procedure. Do not worry if you’re told that it’s necessary in your case; the treatment causes no more discomfort than filling placement and other routine procedures. The idea is that the infected parts of the tooth that are causing you pain are removed, and the inner chamber is sterilized so that no further damage is done. You’ll find relief from the pain and still be able to keep the tooth in question.

Tooth Extractions

Man smiling during tooth extraction treatment

A tooth might need to be removed if:

  • You have a cavity that can’t be repaired with a filling or crown
  • The tooth is so badly broken it can’t be put back together
  • An infection has reached the point where root canal therapy is no longer an option
  • Gum disease has weakened the tissues holding the tooth in place

When tooth extraction is the only viable choice, we’ll make sure that you’re fully aware of your options for replacing it afterward.

More to Explore

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Toothaches

Is My Toothache a Dental Emergency?: There can be different reasons for tooth pain, many of which qualify as a dental emergency. There are a few signs that can tell you if your toothache needs immediate attention, including:

  • Pain that has grown severe or has lasted longer than 24 hours.
  • Any sharp pain that occurs when you bite down on something.
  • Tooth sensitivity that lasts longer than 30 seconds.
  • A small bump forming on the gums near the tooth.
  • The tooth in question looking darker than the teeth around it.
  • Symptoms of an infection, such as swelling or fever.

If you notice any of these warning signs, please call us immediately.

How You Should Handle a Toothache: Floss around the tooth to rule out whether the pain is being caused by something stuck in your smile. To stay comfortable until your appointment, take ibuprofen or another OTC painkiller. If there’s any swelling, hold a cold compress over the area for 20-minute intervals.

How We Treat Toothaches: Sometimes treating a toothache is as simple as placing a filling or wearing a nightguard, while in other cases you might need root canal therapy or gum disease treatment. We’ll do whatever we can to preserve your tooth, but if the damage is too severe, we might have to perform an extraction to protect your oral health. 

Learn More About Gum Disease Treatment

Chipped Teeth

Is a Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency?: A chipped tooth isn’t necessarily an urgent problem, and you can usually wait to treat it for a few days. You shouldn’t wait too long, though, as even minor damage could leave the tooth vulnerable to further injury or eventually lead to a painful infection.

How You Should Handle a Chipped Tooth: If large pieces of the tooth have broken off, gather as many as you can and store them in a clean container. Rinse your mouth out with water to keep the area around the tooth clean and get rid of any lingering shards of the tooth. Cover any sharp edges with dental wax or sugarless gum to protect the rest of your mouth.

How We Treat Chipped Teeth:  A quick dental bonding procedure lets us cover up minor chips with composite resin. For chips on more visible teeth, we might suggest getting a dental veneer. A thin sheath of durable tooth-colored material is attached to the tooth to cover up the damage and enhance your appearance.

Cracked Tooth

Is a Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency?: A minor crack that doesn’t cause any pain might not seem like an emergency. However, if it isn’t treated, it could lead to an infection or a more substantial injury. You should have a cracked tooth examined as soon as possible. If you have dental pain or sensitivity after taking a blow to the face, it might mean you have a crack in a place you can’t see.

How You Should Handle a Cracked Tooth: Rinse your mouth immediately and make sure that the area around the tooth is completely clean. Do not eat or chew with the injured side of your mouth. If the tooth is sensitive, you can cover it with a piece of dental wax or sugarless gum.

How We Treat Cracked Teeth:  Minor cracks can be fixed with dental bonding, which is where we apply a small amount of composite resin to the damaged areas of the tooth. If the tooth is already extensively damaged, a crown might be placed instead. Any teeth that are broken beyond repair will have to be removed and replaced.

Very Sensitive Teeth

Are very sensitive teeth a dental emergency? It’s common for teeth to feel sensitive to things that are hot and cold. However, sometimes sensitivity is the result of thin enamel or a cavity. If you notice distracting, lingering, or sharp tooth sensitivity, give us a call so we can take a look.

How you should handle sensitive teeth: Until you see us for your visit, avoid eating or drinking things that are particularly hot, cold, spicy, acidic, or sugary. Practice thorough oral hygiene and drink plenty of water. If needed, over-the-counter pain relievers can help to manage discomfort.

How we treat tooth sensitivity: We will need to take a look at your smile to determine the cause of your sensitivity and the best way to address it. We may recommend specialized dental products, prescription toothpaste, fluoride treatment, or a dental filling. Other treatments include gum disease therapy and root canal therapy.

Learn More About Fluoride Treatments

Learn More About Tooth-Colored Fillings

Learn More About Nightguards for Bruxism

Learn More About Gum Disease Therapy

Learn More About Root Canal Therapy

Knocked-Out Tooth

Is a knocked-out tooth a dental emergency? A knocked-out tooth is an urgent dental emergency that needs to be addressed right away. Give us a call as soon as possible. For the best chance of saving your tooth, it’s crucial that you seek help from a dentist right away – preferably within an hour of the injury.

How you should handle a knocked-out tooth: Start by locating your knocked-out tooth. Remember to only touch the crown when you’re picking it up. Avoid the root and gently rinse your tooth with warm water, but don’t scrub off any of the remaining tissue. If you can, place your tooth back into the socket. If you can’t, keep it between your cheek and gums, or place your tooth into a container of milk or saliva. Your tooth needs to stay moist until you get to the practice, but don’t use water. This can damage the root surface cells of the tooth.

How we treat knocked-out teeth: If you’re able to make it to the office in time, we will do our best to reimplant the tooth. Your emergency dentist will do this by carefully positioning the tooth back into the socket and splinting it to the neighboring teeth so it can begin the healing process. If your tooth cannot be saved, we can discuss tooth replacement options, like dental implants.

Learn More About Dental Bridges

Learn More About Dentures

Learn More About Dental Implants

Lost Filling or Crown

Is a lost filling or crown a dental emergency? Both fillings and crowns are long-lasting, but they eventually need to be replaced. If one of your restorations falls out, give us a call. Even if you don’t feel any pain, it still needs to be repaired quickly to prevent further decay or damage.

How you should handle a lost filling or crown: If you can, find the restoration and rinse it off. Try to put it back into its place using dental wax. If you can’t keep it in a small container and bring it with you to your appointment. Until then, avoid chewing on that side of your mouth and drink plenty of water to keep the area clean.

How we treat lost fillings or crowns: If your crown or filling is still in good shape, we may be able to put it back. However, we will also take the time to determine why the restoration came out in the first place. This way, we can take all the proper steps to keep this from occurring again.

Learn More About Tooth-Colored Fillings

Learn More About Dental Crowns

Broken Dentures

Is My Broken Denture a Dental Emergency?: If your denture has been damaged or broken, you need to call our office immediately. Broken dentures could cause all kinds of problems with your gums, soft tissues, jaws, and any remaining teeth if you don’t have them repaired soon.

How You Should Handle a Broken Denture: The best thing you can do is get in touch with a dental professional who can repair or replace your dentures. Don’t try to fix them on your own; you might end up causing further damage.

How We Treat Broken Dentures: We’ll need to examine your dentures and determine how severe the damage is. Sometimes we just need to use composite resin to fill in any cracks or perform some adjustments so that the dentures fit properly again. A replacement will be needed if there’s any damage that can’t be repaired, such as being snapped completely in half.

Learn More About Dental Implants

Loose Permanent Tooth

Is a Loose Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency?: Baby teeth are supposed to come loose and fall out eventually. Permanent teeth, on the other hand, are meant to stay firmly in your mouth for the rest of your life. If one comes loose, you need to schedule an appointment with us immediately.

How You Should Handle Loose Permanent Teeth: While waiting for your appointment, do not touch the tooth in question, and avoid any foods that could make the damage worse (i.e., anything hard or sticky). Do not try to brush or floss around the tooth; clean your mouth by rinsing with warm water instead.

How We Treat Loose Permanent Teeth: Sometimes a loose tooth can still be salvaged; we’ll take the necessary steps to encourage it to rejoin with the bone. If the tooth can’t be saved for whatever reason, we can extract it and suggest a replacement, such as a dental implant.

Learn More About Dental Implants

Learn More About Gum Disease Therapy

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Is an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue a Dental Emergency?: An oral injury could be an emergency if you’ve noticed any bleeding. Our office can sometimes offer treatment if the bleeding is minor; for more severe injuries, you should call the ER.

How You Should Handle an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue: Rinse your mouth out with water to clean the area around the cut. Then take a clean washcloth or gauze and apply it to the injury. Hold it there until the bleeding stops.

How We Treat Injuries to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue: We can sometimes stitch a small oral injury closed, although we’ll need to examine it first. If the cut is very large or is bleeding out of control, we urge you to visit an emergency room so that you can have the issue properly treated.

Jaw Pain

Is Jaw Pain a Dental Emergency?: Jaw pain can be annoying and get in the way of your daily life, but unless it’s severe, it’s usually not an emergency. That said, chronic jaw pain does warrant a call to your dentist; we’ll need to examine your mouth to see if the discomfort could lead to more serious oral health issues.

How You Should Handle Jaw Pain: There are many possible causes of jaw pain; when you call our office, our team will give you advice based on the symptoms you describe. Over-the-counter painkillers and ice packs are usually effective for keeping the pain under control.

How We Treat Jaw Pain: Some types of jaw pain can be relieved with a custom mouthguard. In other cases, it might be a warning sign that the wisdom teeth have to be removed. If the pain is caused by a broken or dislocated jaw, we recommend that you go to the nearest emergency room.

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

It’s very common for food to get stuck between your teeth, and it normally doesn’t rise to the level of a dental emergency unless it’s causing you a lot of pain. Normally you should be able to remove anything caught in your smile by yourself, but if you can’t, please call our office; we can help you decide whether or not your issue is urgent enough to warrant an emergency appointment.

When trying to remove foreign materials from between your teeth, the best approach is to floss gently and rinse the area with water. Do not try to use sharp objects such as tweezers or toothpicks to dislodge the material; this could cause serious injury to your gums if you’re not careful.