Emergency Dentist in Fort Mill

Bleeding Gums

What Should I Do If My Gums Are Bleeding?

If your gums are bleeding after an oral injury, it’s likely due to oral trauma that caused lacerations and cuts to your oral tissue. In most cases, bleeding will slow within 1-2 hours after your oral injury. If bleeding continues longer than this, you may have large cuts that require stitches for proper healing.

If your gums seem to be bleeding for no reason, or bleed extremely heavily after you brush your teeth, the issue is likely caused by gum disease. Bleeding gums usually indicate a serious, advanced case of periodontal disease. This counts as a dental emergency, and you should come into Luck Family Dental to get periodontal care right away. 

Know What To DO

How Do I Know If MY Tooth Infection Is Serious?

If you are experiencing issues like a persistent toothache, swelling and inflammation of the gums near one of your teeth, or extreme tooth sensitivity to heat, cold and pressure, you may have an infected (abscessed) tooth. 
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An infected tooth occurs when damage to your tooth exposes the pulp inside your tooth to oral bacteria. Without proper care, your tooth will continue to cause you pain, and it will eventually die. You need to get a root canal right away to save your tooth and prevent further complications. 

Emergency Dental Care at
Luck Family Dental

How Can I Prevent a Dental Emergency?

The best way to prevent a dental emergency is to practice good oral hygiene, eat a healthy diet, and protect your teeth from damage. The most common dental emergencies are a result of tooth decay, gum disease, and dental trauma.

To prevent tooth decay and gum disease, brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste twice a day for at least two minutes. Floss once a day and attend dental cleanings every 6 months. Reduce your consumption of sugar and snacking throughout the day to prevent cavities. 

To prevent damage to your teeth, you should wear a mouthguard if you play contact sports or grind your teeth at night. It only needs to be worn when you are playing sports or sleeping at night, but this can be a saving grace for your teeth, which can become chipped or broken from teeth grinding or injury.

Paying For Treatment

Are Dental Emergencies Covered By Insurance? 

What is covered for a dental emergency by insurance will vary greatly depending on the specific dentist you are seeing and the type of dental insurance you have. First, make sure that what you are getting treated for is considered a dental emergency. 

This is something like dental trauma, a knocked-out tooth, a tooth infection, severe tooth pain, uncontrollable bleeding, sharp fragments that are cutting the inside of your mouth, or impacted wisdom teeth.

Then, contact your insurance provider to find out what dental treatments they cover. Restorative dental treatments are usually covered at about 50%. Common dental emergencies that are covered by insurance include root canals, extractions, dental crowns, and other treatments to address dental trauma or tooth decay.

Chipped Tooth?

Come in for a Consultation

A chipped tooth may not be painful or seem like a big deal, but it considered a serious dental emergency. Even if it does not look like you have a large chip in your tooth and the damage seems minor, come in to see Dr. Luck right away to get treatment like dental bonding or a dental crown.
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A chipped tooth may have a hairline fracture or deeper crack. If left untreated, this will cause your tooth to become infected. In addition, a large chip in your tooth will weaken it and leave it vulnerable to future decay and damage. Not only that, but a chipped tooth may have a sharp edge that could cut your mouth, lips and tongue.

Finding an Emergency Dentist

Why Is It Important To Get Immediate Care?

Getting prompt treatment for a dental emergency is crucial for a few reasons. First, if you are in severe pain, we will make it our priority to relieve your discomfort. A dull toothache is one thing, but if you’ve sustained significant dental trauma, have an infection, or impacted wisdom teeth, the pain can sometimes feel unbearable without dental intervention. 

It can interfere with your ability to carry out your day-to-day activities at home or work. Secondly, we need to address the source of the problem to prevent it from worsening. Failing to treat a tooth infection can mean the loss of a tooth or even worse, the infection spreading throughout your body. 

If we don’t remove impacted wisdom teeth, they can cause damage to your surrounding teeth. If you have suffered from dental trauma, we must stop the bleeding and protect your soft tissue from any sharp edges of your teeth so you don’t cause even more damage. 

When it comes to dental emergencies, time is of the essence. In most emergencies, if you don’t act fast, it can mean losing a tooth or creating newer, worse problems. A knocked-out tooth needs to be reattached within 30 minutes for the best odds of saving the tooth.

Persistent Toothache?

Common Causes of a Toothache

A persistent toothache most likely indicates either a deep cavity or an infected tooth. If you have a deep cavity, your tooth will likely start to hurt, and it may also feel more sensitive to heat, cold and pressure. If it is not treated with a filling or a crown, it will eventually become infected.

If your toothache persists for more than 1-2 days and is causing you serious pain, this is your body’s way of telling you that something is wrong. Schedule an emergency appointment at Luck

Resources for Our Patients

to Keep Care Affordable

We don’t think that money should ever come between you and your dental health. At Luck Family Dental in Fort Mill, we offer resources to help keep quality care within your budget, even when it’s an emergency. Contact us today or visit our office. Our compassionate team will go over all of your payment, financing, and insurance options.