Emergency Dentist – Westerville, OH

Find Relief as Quickly as Possible

Man holding cheek in pain before emergency dentistry in Westerville

You need to be able to stay calm during a dental emergency so that you can make the right decisions for your smile. One thing that can help is to have a plan ahead of time to get the care you need. Keep the number for Tzagournis Dental Group of Westerville on your phone so that if the worst happens, you can simply contact our office immediately. In many cases, we’ll be able to make arrangements to see you on the same day as your call.

Why Choose Tzagournis Dental Group of Westerville for Emergency Dentistry?

  • Same-Day Emergency Dental Appointments
  • Sedation Dentistry for Anxious Patients
  • Knowledgeable, Trustworthy Dentists and Team

How We Treat Dental Emergencies

Woman holding cheek in pain while talking to emergency dentist
  • Emergency Appointment: Once you’ve called our Westerville dental office for emergency dental care, our goal will be to see you as promptly as possible. First-aid tips will be provided as needed.
  • Emergency Exam: It’s not always obvious what’s causing your problem, so a thorough examination is typically needed.
  • Review of Findings: Our team will provide an overview of your situation and walk you through your options for relief. You won’t need to agree to any procedures without first being given an estimate of how much you’ll need to pay for them.
  • Emergency Treatment: Each emergency treatment plan is personalized based on the nature of the emergency. We will always aim to do whatever is best for your smile in the long run.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

Not every dental issue necessarily requires emergency care, but at the same time, it’s typically best to have a dental professional look at the problem as soon as possible. Remember that you can always call us if you’re ever uncertain whether urgent dental treatment is required. In the meantime, here are some common dental emergencies that you need to watch out for.

Toothaches 

Is My Toothache a Dental Emergency? If your toothache in Westerville persists for longer than a day or is causing you extreme pain that affects your daily life, then you likely require emergency dental attention. Without timely treatment, not only can the pain become even worse, but the issue can also spread, requiring more extensive intervention.

How You Should Handle a Toothache: If you believe your tooth pain could be caused by something lodged between your teeth, take the time to gently floss around the area. To minimize your discomfort so you can continue to work and focus on your day-to-day life until you receive treatment, you can take an over-the-counter pain medication like ibuprofen. Keep in mind that this is only a temporary solution to ease your pain. Rinsing with salt water can also help minimize any inflammation and keep your mouth clean. If swelling occurs, place a cold compress on the outside of your face for 10 minutes on, 10 minutes off to bring it down.

How We Treat Toothaches: When you arrive at our office, our team will capture any necessary X-ray images and complete a thorough examination of your mouth to diagnose the underlying issue. If it’s due to a tooth infection, it’s likely that a tooth extraction or root canal may be necessary. If your pain isn’t the result of an infection, then our team will outline your other treatment options for you.

Learn More About Tooth Extractions

Learn More About Pulp Therapy for Children

Learn More About Dental Crowns

Chipped Teeth

Is a Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? While a chipped tooth in Westerville may not require same-day care, it should be treated in a timely manner for both your comfort and oral health. That’s why we recommend calling our office to schedule an appointment.

How You Should Handle a Chipped Tooth: If you’re able to find the chipped-off portion of your tooth, you can clean it off and bring it to your appointment with you. If the edge created from the dental damage is sharp and scraping the inside of your lips and cheeks, you can place a piece of orthodontic wax over it.

How We Treat Chipped Teeth: Typically, teeth with minor or moderate chips in them can be repaired with direct bonding.

Learn More About Direct Bonding

Learn More About Veneers

Cracked Tooth

Is a Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? If you have a cracked tooth in Westerville, we recommend calling our office as soon as possible for an examination and treatment. Similar to with a toothache, without timely care, more extensive treatment may be necessary the longer the issue is ignored. Even if the damage seems small, it’s important to contact your emergency dentist as soon as possible.

How You Should Handle a Cracked Tooth: To keep the tooth clean and make sure no harmful oral bacteria are able to infiltrate the inner chamber of the tooth and cause an infection, rinse with salt water regularly throughout the day. If swelling occurs, you can use a cold compress to keep it under control. Just be sure to only use it in 10 minute increments and do not press the ice pack against your bare skin. Avoid eating with the side of your mouth with the cracked tooth.

How We Treat Cracked Teeth: If the damage to your tooth is minimal, we may be able to repair it with a tooth-colored filling or dental crown. More severe damage may require a tooth extraction and replacement, like with an implant crown.

Learn More About Tooth-Colored Fillings

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? Teeth can be sensitive for a variety of reasons, some more serious than others. If you experience persistent sensitivity that isn’t the result of an underlying oral health problem, using a special toothpaste to combat tooth sensitivity may be the best way to move forward. However, if the sensitivity is due to a lingering cavity, tooth infection, or gum disease, our team can help.

How You Should Handle Very Sensitive Teeth: Call our office first. Our team will ask you about your symptoms and help you determine whether a same-day emergency appointment is necessary. If not, we may recommend purchasing a special toothpaste to help strengthen your enamel or prescribe you one at your next checkup and cleaning.  

How We Treat Very Sensitive Teeth: No treatment will be necessary unless your sensitivity is caused by an underlying dental health problem, like excessive enamel erosion, a lingering cavity, or tooth infection. Our team will go over our recommended treatment plan with you once we’ve diagnosed the issue at hand.

Learn More About Fluoride Treatment

Learn More About Tooth-Colored Fillings

Knocked-Out Tooth

Is My Knocked-Out Tooth a Dental Emergency? If you have just knocked out a permanent tooth, time is of the essence. Try to get to our office within an hour of the incident for the best chances of re-planting the tooth.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Tooth: For a knocked-out tooth in Westerville, we recommend locating it and gently rinsing it off, if possible. Be sure that you only handle the tooth by the biting surface, avoiding touching the roots. You can rinse it with cool water. Preserve the tooth by either placing it back in the socket that it got dislodged from or in a sealed container with milk.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Teeth: If your knocked-out tooth can be successfully replanted in your socket, no additional treatment will be necessary. However, if you aren’t able to locate the tooth or it can’t be re-planted, we may recommend a dental bridge or implant dental crown to replace your newly missing tooth.

Learn More About Dental Implants

Learn More About Dental Bridges

Lost Filling or Crown

Is a Lost Filling or Crown a Dental Emergency? A lost or damaged dental restoration in Westerville should be addressed as soon as possible but may not require same-day care. Our team will work with you to plan the best time and date for you to come in for an examination.

How You Should Handle a Lost Filling or Crown: If your dental restoration falls off a tooth and you’re able to locate it, you can rinse it off and temporarily secure it back atop your tooth with a dab of toothpaste or denture adhesive. Avoid sensitivity by only drinking room temperature water and steering clear of excessively hot or cold foods.

How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns: If you noticed your missing filling or crown early, it’s likely that our team will only need to replace it. However, in situations where a restoration has been missing for a while, a root canal or other treatment may be necessary if an infection has developed.

Learn More About Dental Crowns

Learn More About Tooth-Colored Fillings

Broken Dentures

Is My Broken Denture a Dental Emergency?

It’s not comfortable or safe to eat or function with a broken denture. It could harm your gums, any remaining teeth, and other oral structures. As a result, it is considered an urgent dental emergency.

How You Should Handle a Broken Denture

Do not put a broken denture in your mouth. Again, it could cause damage and be uncomfortable. Make sure you bring your denture with you to your emergency appointment. For minor changes and repairs, we may be able to fix it in our office.

How We Treat Broken Dentures

Although small adjustments can be made in our office, most of the time broken dentures need to be replaced with new ones for a more comfortable, perfect fit.

Learn More about Dentures

Loose Permanent Tooth

Is a Loose Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency?

Unlike primary or baby teeth, permanent teeth shouldn’t ever feel loose. If one of yours does, it’s not a good sign and needs to be addressed sooner than later. A loose permanent tooth could indicate a dental injury or a serious gum infection that could result in the tooth coming out entirely.

How You Should Handle Loose Permanent Teeth

Continue to brush and floss as usual but be extra careful and gentle around the loose tooth. Also, avoid hard, crunchy, or chewy foods that could disrupt the tooth even more.

How We Treat Loose Permanent Teeth

If possible, we will try to stabilize the loose tooth. Supposing it is the result of an advanced gum infection, we will try to get rid of the bacteria and save the tooth, but keep in mind that extraction may be necessary. In this situation, we can discuss your replacement options.

Learn More about Tooth Replacement

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Is an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue a Dental Emergency?

When the gums, lips, or tongue is injured, other oral structures may also be harmed, which is why it’s a good idea to get checked out afterward just to be fully aware of the damage done.

How You Should Handle an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

First, you need to control any bleeding. Using a clean gauze or cloth, gently press against the wound until bleeding slows, which should be within 10 minutes. If you continue to bleed after this amount of time, head to the emergency room for further evaluation. Otherwise, you can come to our office for an examination.

How We Treat Injuries to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

If necessary, we can provide stitches for soft tissue injuries, and we will inspect the rest of your oral structures.

Jaw Pain

Is Jaw Pain a Dental Emergency?

Unless your jaw pain keeps you from being able to eat or is extreme, it is usually not considered a dental emergency. Most of the time, this symptom can be managed at home until your next dental checkup and cleaning, but if it gets worse or unbearable, don’t wait.

How You Should Handle Jaw Pain

As much as possible, try to avoid crunchy foods or those that require a lot of chewing. You can also use hot and cold compresses to soothe the jaw muscles. Again, if it persists or gets worse, it’s time to give us a call.

How We Treat Jaw Pain

Jaw pain may come from straining muscles or from grinding or clenching your teeth, in which case, we can provide a special oral appliance that prevents this unconscious habit and gives you relief.

Learn More about TMJ Treatment

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

With little spaces between your teeth, bits of food can get stuck there frequently. If you allow the debris to stay there, it could not only result in plaque and cavities but also in pressing your teeth out of alignment. If something gets stuck, use dental floss to dislodge the debris. If this doesn’t work, you need to call our office to be seen as soon as possible. Do not try to use a toothpick, knife, or other sharp object to poke or dig it out. You’d run a high risk of damaging your teeth, gums, and other oral structures. We can safely remove the stuck debris without putting the rest of your smile in harm’s way.

Understanding the Cost of Emergency Dentistry

Closeup of a hand holding a credit card next to a large model tooth

Now that you know more about emergency dentistry in Westerville, you probably have questions about the cost. We can’t anticipate how much you’ll owe ahead of time because the amount due depends on your unique situation. Once you arrive for your appointment and our team can determine the full extent of the harm done, we’ll provide a detailed estimate for the required services. Rest assured, we won’t proceed with any treatment until we’ve walked you through the information and have your permission to proceed.

Continue reading below to learn more about what determines the final cost!

Every Dental Emergency is Different

Blue dental chair in a white examination room with x-ray displayed on a monitor

There is no standard pricing for dental emergencies because everyone’s situation is unique. Some problems can be addressed with relative ease and don’t require invasive or expensive solutions, like filling a cavity. However, more severe circumstances necessitate more complex procedures, like extraction or root canal therapy. In these cases, we’ll also have to factor in the cost of any restorations that will be needed, such as customized dental crowns.

Our team wants you to feel comfortable and confident in any potential treatments, so we take the time to share all the options with you before deciding on the best path forward.

Does Dental Insurance Cover Dental Emergencies?

Shoulder to waist view of a man in a suit holding his finger to a screen that says Dental Insurance

Most dental insurance policies include some form of coverage for urgent scenarios. They often incorporate at least one exam every year, but the various treatments to resolve your issue might not be fully reimbursed. For example, many plans cover 50% to 80% of the cost of services like root canals, dental crowns, tooth extractions, etc. However, not all plans are the same, so it’s important to double-check what yours includes.

Also, remember that preventative care procedures like routine checkups and professional cleanings are often 100% covered. Visiting our team for a standard visit every six months can keep your teeth healthy to help them resist injury, decay, and disease.

Other Options for Making Dental Emergencies Affordable

Artificial teeth clamped on a yellow paper that says Dental Payment Plan

Dental emergencies can happen at any time, regardless of whether you carry an insurance policy. Our team understands this, and we don’t want your budget to keep you from receiving the essential care that you need to protect your smile! That’s why we offer in-house dental plans.

There are several membership levels at different price points, so you can find one that works for your wallet. There are no deductibles, yearly maximums, or waiting periods involved. Plus, each plan includes one emergency exam and x-ray, along

Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies

Woman with brown hair squinting in pain holding both hands to face

Dental emergencies can happen to people of all ages for a variety of reasons, but one thing is for sure: you can never anticipate exactly when it will occur. Whether you develop a sudden or severe toothache or lose a tooth or restoration, you should contact us right away. The sooner you reach out, the faster we can identify and treat the problem.

While the timing of dental emergencies may be beyond your control, there are proactive steps you can take to significantly reduce the risk. In this section, we'll explore these key strategies that can help you safeguard your smile and potentially prevent you from finding yourself in a dire dental situation. Read on to discover how you can take control of your dental well-being!

Regularly Visit Your Dentist

Facial closeup of a woman undergoing an oral exam by a dentist with blue gloves

Preventative care is the best way to protect your grin from potential harm. One easy way to ensure that your teeth and gums stay healthy is to schedule a routine checkup and cleaning with our team every 6 months. This allows us to monitor your dental condition so if there are any areas of concern, like weakened enamel or signs of gum disease, we can treat them before they progress into a real problem.

Practice Consistent Oral Hygiene at Home

Man with brown hair and white t-shirt brushing teeth with a blue and white toothbrush

Another key aspect of proper preventative care is implementing a consistent dental hygiene regimen at home. Brushing and flossing twice daily removes plaque and bacteria buildup from your teeth and along your gum line. When you regularly clear away toxic germs, you’re less likely to develop dental issues like cavities or periodontal disease. This keeps your mouth in excellent condition so that your teeth and gums are less likely to be damaged down the road.

Stick to a Nutritious Diet

A variety of healthy foods laid out on a wooden table

The foods you consume play a major role in your overall dental condition. For example, overly sugary or acidic foods work in tandem with bacteria in your mouth to erode your enamel, so you might want to avoid them. Also, super hard and crunchy foods like nuts, seeds, and ice can crack or chip them.

Why not fill your plate with foods that are good for your oral condition instead? Dairy products like milk and yogurt have calcium to support strong teeth and bones, while citrus fruits are full of vitamin C for healthy gums.

Wear a Mouthguard

Woman blurry in the background holding a clear mouthguard to the foreground

If you participate in contact or team sports or suffer from bruxism (teeth grinding), then your teeth are at an increased risk of sustaining physical trauma. You’re more likely to take a blow to the face that damages or dislodges one, or they could start to crack under all the added pressure of constantly clenching your jaw.

Whether you need a traditional mouthguard for sports and activities or an occlusal splint to wear at night, we can provide you with a mouthguard to protect your grin against any potential injuries.

Don’t Treat Your Teeth as Tools

Woman wearing black and white shirts opening a box in a room with a brick wall

Your teeth make convenient tools that you may be tempted to use to open packages, bags, or bottles, but this isn’t their intended purpose. Using them in this capacity can crack or break them, which means bacteria can more easily penetrate them and cause infection. Taking a few extra minutes to locate a box cutter, letter opener, or other appropriate tool can safeguard your smile.