Emergency Dental Care in North Miami Beach, FL

What Counts as a Dental Emergency?

A dental emergency is a situation requiring immediate dental care. Not all dental emergencies fall into this category. Some still need to be professionally treated, but the need is less urgent and can be managed until you can get to an emergency dental clinic.

You should seek immediate emergency dental care if you have:

• A severe toothache.
• A dental abscess.
• Knocked out a tooth.
• Partially knocked out a tooth.
• Injuries to your cheeks, lips, tongue, or gums that are causing severe bleeding.
• If the bleeding doesn’t stop within twenty minutes or is very heavy, visit your nearest ER.

When is a Dental Problem Not So Urgent?

Certain dental emergencies need professional dental care quickly, but are less urgent, including:

• Minor toothache.
• Minor damage to a tooth, such as a chip or crack.
• Damaged or failing dental restorations like fillings or crowns.
• Broken dental appliances like braces or dentures.
• Minor injuries to your cheeks, lips, tongue, or gums that are not bleeding extensively.

Coping with Less Urgent Dental Emergencies

If your dental emergency is less urgent, we can still provide helpful advice on the phone and schedule a suitable appointment with our dentist.

Our personalized advice will include information on managing discomfort or pain and coping with damaged or broken dental restorations.

It is important to get professional dental care, as a minor issue like a chipped tooth could otherwise worsen and develop into a more serious problem requiring more extensive and costlier treatment.

What to Expect When You Contact Dental Pearl

Our friendly dental team can offer immediate advice over the phone, based on what has happened and your symptoms.  We will listen carefully to fully understand the problem, provide expert advice and reassurance, and schedule an appointment with our emergency dentist.

What to Expect If You Need Urgent Dental Care

If you need urgent dental care, we will try to arrange an appointment with the dentist on the same day. In the meantime, we will explain clearly how to care for your mouth until your appointment. Below is some general advice.

Severe Toothache

• Gently floss around the affected tooth to remove any food debris and rinse your mouth with warm water. Impacted food can dislodge a tooth slightly and cause pain.
• Use over-the-counter pain medication, following the packaging instructions closely. Don’t place painkillers directly on the tooth, as they could burn the gum, and this technique will not relieve pain.
• Reduce facial swelling and relieve pain with an ice pack wrapped in a towel. Hold the ice pack against your face for twenty minutes at a time.

Dental Abscess

• Use over-the-counter pain relief as directed on the packaging.
• To relieve pus buildup caused by a dental abscess, make a saltwater rinse by dissolving a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water. Swish it around your mouth several times a day to help draw the infection to the gum surface.

Knocked-Out Tooth

• Handle the knocked-out tooth by its crown and wash away any dirt under running water.
• If you can, insert the tooth back into its socket, but make sure it faces the right way around.
• Alternatively, place the tooth in a small container with milk, or with plain water and a pinch of salt.
• Visit Dental Pearl or another emergency dentist immediately, as the chances of saving the tooth are much better when you can receive dental care within the first hour after the accident.

Partially Knocked Out Tooth

• Arrange to come and see us as soon as possible.
• Use over-the-counter pain relief for any discomfort.
• Use an ice pack wrapped in a towel to reduce any facial swelling.

Injuries to Your Cheeks, Lips, Gums, and Tongue

• Hold a gauze pad or moist teabag to the wound, applying gentle pressure to stop the bleeding. We suggest using a teabag because the tannins help to shrink blood vessels, slowing bleeding.
• Use an ice pack wrapped in a towel and held to the outside of your face for twenty minutes to relieve pain and swelling.
• Use over-the-counter pain relief for any discomfort.

What to Expect When Visiting Dental Pearl

1. Examination and Diagnosis

When you see us for urgent dental care, we will examine your mouth gently to assess the situation. Our emergency dental clinic is equipped with advanced diagnostics, including digital X-rays, a cone beam CT scanner, and intraoral scanners.

It doesn’t take long to conduct these diagnostic tests, and we can view the results on-screen in the treatment room. We can explain the problem using these images and the recommended treatments.

2. Emergency Dental Care

After accurately identifying the problem, we can provide emergency dental care. This is designed to stabilize your oral health and relieve pain quickly.

We may provide some temporary dental care, such as draining a dental abscess or stabilizing teeth that have been dislodged or knocked out.

3. Follow-Up Dental Care

You will likely need to return to our dental office later for further treatment. This allows us to assess the results of emergency dental care and determine whether a tooth can be saved and restored or will need to be replaced.

Usually, a dental emergency requires treatment to eliminate an infection and relieve pain, followed by appropriate restorative dentistry so you can eat and talk comfortably and confidently.

Why Choose Us?

Gentle Care

Our dental team is kind and compassionate, and we can quickly help you feel more comfortable and in control of your situation. No matter how severe it seems, we can help you find a suitable solution to eliminate dental pain and restore oral health.

Fast Access to an Experienced Team

We know you want to get expert help quickly and make every effort to see patients in pain or discomfort urgently. Our experience enables us to make accurate diagnoses and provide urgent care with minimal delay.

Transparent Pricing

We always provide a custom treatment plan for every patient. If you need an emergency dentist on Saturday or at any time, you will receive a plan with transparent pricing so you understand how the fees are calculated and what is included.

We Take the Time to Explain Treatments

All possible treatment options will be listed, and we will explain them clearly. We understand that when you are in pain or scared, it is tricky to take in all the information provided. If there is something you do not understand later, please get in touch with us, and we will be happy to go over the plan again.

We want you to have full confidence in your chosen plan and to understand how it will help relieve your dental emergency and restore your smile.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will Emergency Dental Care Hurt?

We are incredibly gentle when examining people in pain or discomfort and can provide appropriate pain relief quickly. Emergency dental care is provided with anesthesia to numb your mouth, so you should not feel any pain.

2. Should I Go to the Dentist or the ER?

We always suggest contacting us first, but certain emergencies cannot wait. Go to the ER if you have uncontrolled bleeding to your cheeks, lips, gums, or tongue, or if you knock out a tooth and cannot get to see us immediately.

If you have a severe toothache accompanied by fever, facial swelling, and feel very unwell, go to the nearest ER immediately. Sometimes a severe dental abscess can spread beyond the tooth and may affect general health. This is a dental emergency, as a tooth infection can be life-threatening on rare occasions.

3. What if My Dental Emergency is Out of Office Hours?

Looking for an emergency dentist open on Sunday is no fun, but still get in contact with us for help and advice, especially if the problem is less urgent. We will get back to you as soon as possible.