If you are experiencing mild tooth sensitivity, bad breath, sore gums, or other relatively minor dental ailments, please call us, and make an appointment for a checkup. While it is important to treat these conditions, they are not considered dental emergencies. On the other hand, the conditions below do require emergency dental care.

• Toothache Pain- If you are having a toothache that has gone from discomfort to severe pain, you may have developed a serious infection or an abscess. The first treatment step is over-the-counter pain medications for this pain, but if this does not improve the pain, it will be necessary to make an emergency appointment. After you have called us and scheduled an emergency appointment, follow these steps till your visit: Press a cold compress outside of your mouth where the sore tooth is, this will reduce the swelling and alleviate some of the pain. Rinse your mouth with salt water to reduce the inflammation and kill bacteria. If necessary, remove any food lodged near the tooth using dental floss or a dental pick. Apply oral numbing gels to the gums and tooth to help alleviate the pain.
• An Accident- Accidents are the most common reason for needing an emergency dentist. If you have an accident, do your best to stay calm. Once you have assessed your situation and decide you need help, call Burch Dental, even if it is not during business hours. If you have tooth pain, it might be possible to wait until the next day to seek emergency care. If there is any doubt about the severity of your case, it will be best to be cautious and seek immediate help. If we are not able to see you, the emergency room at the nearest hospital is your next best option.
• Broken, Cracked, Or Knocked-Out Teeth- Another common reason you might require emergency dental care is due to a tooth that is broken, cracked, or knocked out. The most common causes are biting on something hard or having a sporting accident. If you can schedule an appointment with us immediately, we will attempt to reinsert the knocked-out tooth into the socket after meticulously cleaning it. Then we can use a special splint on the tooth, which will allow the tooth to fuse back to the root over the coming weeks.
• Oral Injuries- If you experience an accident that causes damage to your facial or mouth tissue that results in excessive bleeding, it is important to go to the emergency room as soon as possible. The ER doctor can use sutures for any external cuts. Once this is complete, they can either advise you on what type of dental care you might require, or they can provide support following the sutures. As you prepare to go to the emergency room, place a cold compress against the area that has been affected and rinse your mouth with water to help control the bleeding and clean the area.
• Dental Abscess- A dental abscess is an infection that occurs around a tooth root. Abscesses can result in serious dental pain, and they can be dangerous if they spread into your jawbone, any nearby teeth, or even your bloodstream. It is important to seek treatment for a suspected dental abscess as soon as possible. If you have a fever or severe pain, call Burch Dental If you do not have a fever and are able to control your pain with an over-the-counter pain reliever, you can call us in the morning; we should be able to see you very soon. As with any toothache, you can help control the abscess pain with cold compresses, saltwater rinses, and eating soft foods. We may prescribe antibiotics for you to take before you come into see our team. Often this helps alleviate the pain as it helps fight off the infection. Abscesses are most often treated with a root canal procedure. If the tooth is badly infected, an extraction may be necessary.