HAVE A DENTAL EMERGENCY?

Whether from an unexpected fall or being a dinner and biting into something hard you weren’t expecting, broken teeth can be both uncomfortable and a threat to your overall tooth alignment (not to mention the effect they can have on the smile you’re depending on for that upcoming business meeting). Instead of typing "emergency dental care near me" in an internet search engine, call us when damage happens, so we can get a look at it and assess the situation quickly. If it’s a chip or crack we can mend it on the spot with one of the many types of filling materials available, and we’ll do it right away during your emergency dentistry visit. In the case of more serious damage, we’ll look at the possibility of providing a temporary solution and advise you about what you can do for the long term.

If your teeth and/or gums are hurting, give us a call, especially if the pain has been going on longer than one or two days, if the pain is severe or if the pain is accompanied by an earache or fever. Most toothaches are caused by tooth decay, which can usually be handled with dental fillings, but we’ll want to make sure there are no gum and/or root infections that could spread if not treated promptly. During your dental emergency appointment, we’ll have a thorough conversation with you about your medical and dental history, and how you’ve been feeling recently. We’ll follow that with a complete oral exam and perhaps take some x-rays to find the exact location of your trouble spot (pain radiates, our desire is to find the source point of your pain). After we’ve completed an assessment, we’ll discuss whatever treatment options are available to you.

That immediate feeling that something has happened to a crown or filling is both unmistakable and unsettling. As durable as crowns and fillings are, there are simply times when something happens to get them out of place (such as the same kind of trauma that chips and cracks teeth). Replacing fillings is a fairly straightforward process. We’ll simply clean out the area the filling once occupied and refill it for you. Emergency dentistry dealing with crowns can be a bit more complicated. If your crown simply comes loose, and you can bring it to us, we’ll look into preparing it to be reset. If the crown was lost and/or broken beyond repair, we’ll look at making you a temporary crown as a first step toward complete replacement with a new one.

An infection of the gum or at the root of a tooth can result in a pocket of pus called an “abscess.” While not always a painful condition, it is very often quite painful. Incision and Drainage is a process in which a small cut is made to the depth of the infection; the pus is then drained from the infected area. It is very likely that, while the procedure eliminates the immediate pain, incision and drainage won’t solve the entire problem of the infection. It is considered oral surgery and you can expect the need for further treatment beyond your emergency dentistry visit. An additional procedure and/or antibiotics are among the options that will be explained to you.

The “pulp” of a tooth is the collection of veins and nerves found in the “pulp chamber” that lies beneath the two outer portions of a tooth (the enamel and the dentin). The pulp extends down from the pulp chamber through each side of the tooth’s root system (the root canals). Sometimes, the entire pulp area becomes infected, requiring a complete clearing (called a root canal procedure). But by simply open up the pulp chamber and removing the uppermost portion of the pulp(called a pulpotomy) we can help relieve the pain or discomfort. Then in a later appointment when pain and/or swelling is minimized, we can continue and remove the rest of the pulp. A pulpotomy can usually be completed in a single emergency dentistry visit.

There are times when a tooth simply needs to be taken out of your mouth. We won’t recommend it unless you absolutely need it, and we promise to keep you comfortable throughout the procedure. That same promise goes for anything we recommend; your comfort during treatment is every bit as important to us as the results. An extraction is considered oral surgery and can usually be performed at our office with our specialist.

As indicated above, some of our emergency dentistry procedures are considered oral surgery. In fact, some of our general dentistry falls under that category, as well. But oral surgery also refers to much more complex treatments and procedures, such as implant placement and even whole-mouth reconstruction. However intricate and involved your oral surgery needs are, StarBrite Dental has the expertise you need right here in our Rockville office.

If you’re in Rockville, North Bethesda, Silver Spring, Gaithersburg, Potomac, Washington, DC, or another of our local communities, please keep our number handy in case you find yourself in need of emergency dentistry, including oral surgery. 

If you’re a current patient, we’ll be as pleased to care for your emergency dentistry needs as we are your general dentistry needs. If you are a new patient and have a dental emergency, we would be happy to help you as well. If you’re a visitor to the area, we’ll gladly show off our local dedication to hospitality so you do not need to spend time searching "emergency dentist near me" or "urgent dental care near me" on your smartphone.

Our only request is that you don’t hesitate to call when a need for emergency dentistry arises. The StarBrite Dental team is dedicated to the oral health of the Greater Rockville area and anyone who happens to be visiting or passing through.

We always react with a sense of urgency to patient needs; you’ll never get the feeling that someone at StarBrite is just “phoning it in.” And when you call us about dental emergencies, our staff’s normal sense of urgency, combined with their empathy for unforeseen situations is truly something to experience.