Emergency Dentistry
Emergency Dentists Seattle
For Dental Problems That Can’t-Wait – Our Emergency Dentists Provide Fast, Thorough Relief
We know that there are situations in life that just can’t wait for the next available appointment. Perhaps you bit down too hard and chipped your tooth. Maybe a friendly game of football left you with a gaping hole where a tooth used to be. Many people are unprepared for dental emergencies. Fortunately, our team is always prepared!
At Seattle Dental Associates, our expertly trained staff of dental professionals can help with your dental emergency! We provide a wide range of emergency dentistry services to ensure that you get the treatment you need in a timely manner. These treatments include help following sports injuries, car accidents, or other unfortunate incidents. If you lose a tooth, suffer a dental abscess, have issues with your oral restorations, or chip a tooth and need immediate dental care, you can count on us.
Because Tooth Pain Can’t-Wait
Call our office and a friendly representative will be happy to talk to you about your dental problem. If it meets the criteria, you will be scheduled for an emergency appointment. These appointments can be the same day or next-day, depending on your preference and the type of emergency you need to be seen for. Don’t wait for treatment!
When a dental emergency strikes call the office of Seattle Dental Associates at 206-343-8774.
Emergency Dental Problems and Services Include
- Lost fillings
- Missing teeth
- Chipped or broken teeth
- Issues with crowns, veneers, or dental bridges
- Toothache relief
- Swollen jaw
- Common extractions
- Sore gum relief
Don’t Delay Your Treatment
- We offer an in-house Dental Membership Plan
- Same-day appointments and treatment (whenever possible during normal practice hours)
- Convenient hours
- Validated parking at Pacific Place
- Highly-rated experienced emergency dentists
- Close to public transportation in downtown Seattle by Amazon and Nordstrom
- HSA and FSA accepted
- CareCredit financing accepted
What Constitutes a Dental Emergency?
A dental emergency is a problem that you cannot wait multiple days to address. Many such issues involve severe pain or discomfort, swelling, and even breaks or avulsions. For instance, if you suffer a cracked tooth in a game of pickup basketball with your friends, you should seek emergency dental care immediately. In addition to the great pain you feel, the fracture may leave sharp fragments in your mouth that can cause further trauma. Minor toothaches may only require general dentistry services, but if symptoms of a dental abscess accompany them, call Seattle Dental Associates right away.
Reasons for Needing an Emergency Dentist in Seattle
The American Dental Association reported that the number one cause of adult tooth damage every year is playing sports. From backyard basketball games to competitive sports leagues, it’s easy to end up damaging a tooth or getting a tooth knocked out by another player. The same holds true for kids playing sports as well. While there are ways to protect yourself like wearing a mouth guard, a dental emergency is still possible.
Another leading cause of tooth injury is being in a car accident. Enamel on your teeth are strong but it may not be strong enough to prevent your tooth from breaking when colliding with the steering wheel. With millions of car accidents each year, teeth are a common victim.
While many people seek treatment at the emergency room following a car accident, the ER does not treat tooth damage so it is important to schedule an appointment with your dentist as well to make sure your teeth and mouth did not suffer any damage in the accident.
Tooth infections are another common cause of dental emergencies. When untreated for a long period of time it can lead to a dental abscess which is extremely painful. An abscess is a major tooth infection that can settle into your jawbone and the floor of your mouth. If it does, oral surgery may be necessary in order to remove the infection. We can let you know if there is an abscess during your emergency dental exam.
It is common for people to break, crack, or chip a tooth or teeth when playing sports or in a car accident. As long as the tooth structure remains in place, we can typically correct it with various dental treatment options. During your emergency dental examine we can make sure the structure of the tooth is intact and review your treatment options with you.
If you have a broken or chipped tooth it is important to be seen as quickly as possible by a dentist. Quick action can save the tooth, prevent infection, and reduce the need for extensive dental treatment.
Dental Emergency FAQs
What Should I Do If I Chip a Tooth?
If you chip or fracture a tooth, you should schedule an appointment with Seattle Dental Associates as soon as possible. Our general dentistry practice will take swift action to treat your situation before it worsens. In the meantime, rinse your mouth with salt water to minimize your risk of infection and apply a cold compress to your cheek or lips near the broken tooth to reduce swelling. Feel free to take an over-the-counter pain reliever to ease your discomfort until we can see you.
After assessing your chipped tooth, we will determine the best treatment option from the following:
- Filling or Bonding: Our dental team may be able to repair your chipped tooth with a dental filling. For visible teeth, we can bond a tooth-colored composite resin to the impacted area, repairing your chip and matching the appearance of surrounding teeth.
- Dental Veneers: Depending on the severity of your injury, we may choose to apply a veneer to completely cover the tooth and make it appear as if it was never chipped. This porcelain or resin composite material will be specially created to match your teeth.
- Dental Cap or Crown: A full-coverage cap or crown may be necessary to prevent the tooth from breaking further. This option will protect your tooth, preserve its function, and restore its appearance.
What Are Some of the Most Common Dental Emergencies?
There is a wide range of dental emergencies that our Seattle-based team can address, but the most common among them include injuries to the teeth. We can provide relief for sore gums and swollen jaws, but our dental emergency specialties include:
- Abscessed tooth: If you suffer a tooth abscess and fail to treat it, your condition may result in a dental emergency. A tooth infection can cause severe pain, swelling, and physical health concerns, so contact us as soon as you can.
- Chipped or broken tooth: You need the care of an emergency dentist if you chip or break a tooth. Seattle Dental Associates can alleviate your pain and restore form and function promptly.
- Issues with dental restorations: In some cases, lost fillings or damaged crowns can constitute a dental emergency. Along with veneers and bridges, each of these restorations protects your teeth, so call our friendly team if you need immediate assistance.
What Constitutes a Dental Emergency?
A dental emergency is a problem that you cannot wait multiple days to address. Many such issues involve severe pain or discomfort, swelling, and even breaks or avulsions. For instance, if you suffer a cracked tooth in a game of pickup basketball with your friends, you should seek emergency dental care immediately. In addition to the great pain you feel, the fracture may leave sharp fragments in your mouth that can cause further trauma. Minor toothaches may only require general dentistry services, but if symptoms of a dental abscess accompany them, call Seattle Dental Associates right away.
Is Emergency Dental Care Expensive?
Seattle Dental Associates offers emergency dentistry services at competitive prices to ensure you get the care you need as soon as you need it. Do not hesitate to visit our clinic for all your dental emergencies. Failure to do so can result in additional problems and concerns in the future. Fortunately for our patients, we accept several major insurance providers – including Delta Dental. By working with in-network providers, you minimize the cost of emergency dental care and receive the treatment you deserve.
How Can I Avoid Dental Emergencies?
You can avoid many dental emergencies by being proactive with your oral hygiene and minimizing risks. Excepting unforeseen accidents, you can prevent many dental emergencies with proper tooth and gum maintenance. No one wants to have to visit a dentist on short notice, so take precautions such as:
- Routinely visiting a dentist to monitor fillings, crowns, signs of decay, and infections
- Wearing a mouthguard when participating in physical activities
- Avoiding chewing on hard objects such as ice, popcorn kernels, and hard candy
What Should I Do If I Lose a Tooth?
Call Seattle Dental Associates immediately if you lose a permanent tooth. We will instruct you on how to handle the situation until you can get to our downtown Seattle office. Our directions will include handling your tooth by its crown rather than roots. Keep it moist during transport to improve the chances of placing it back into your mouth through emergency dentistry services. Following a tooth avulsion, it is essential to visit our state-of-the-art facility as quickly as possible so that we may try to salvage your natural tooth.
When You Should and Shouldn’t Visit the ER for a Dental Emergency
If you are facing a life-threatening injury or an injury that poses a serious threat to your long-term general health, visiting the ER prior to visiting an emergency dentist may be your best solution; however, it’s important to note that the ER doesn’t treat dental injuries so non-life-threatening dental injuries are often best treated by a Seattle emergency dentist.
Dental emergencies or traumas that involve the face and mouth which require immediate medical attention and a trip to the ER include:
- jaw fractures
- jaw dislocations
- serious cuts or lacerations to the face and mouth
- an abscess or infection that is very swollen or affecting your breathing or swallowing
Most Dental Emergencies Should Be Handled by an Emergency Dentist
Here are the top 3 reasons to visit an emergency dentist instead of the ER:
- Doctors in the ER don’t perform dental procedures: Doctors and nurses in the emergency room are not trained in how to treat dental complications such as loose teeth, knocked-out teeth, or gum tissue injuries. They focus on helping you get pain relief and treat other general health issues until you can see an emergency dentist.
- Emergency dentists can help more with pain relief: Oral injuries are somewhat unique and often more complex to diagnose. Improper diagnosis of exactly the source of pain and other symptoms are can lead to less effective pain relief measures and longer delays until you feel better.
- Dentists can save damaged or missing teeth: If you have damaged, missing, or teeth in jeopardy of becoming lost due to an oral health concern (such as tooth infection, deep dental cavity, etc…) then it is important to visit a local Seattle emergency dentist promptly. Often, teeth that are knocked out or loose due to dental trauma can be repositioned and saved, whereas an ER doctor does not typically know how to handle these types of concerns.
If you’re suffering from a dental emergency give our downtown Seattle emergency dentists a call to book your appointment. We can often accommodate same or next-day emergency dentistry appointments during our normal office hours.
Nine Reasons to Choose an Out-of-Network Dentist
Our In-House Dental Membership Plan is designed to give you top-tier dental services at affordable rates. Say goodbye to insurance limitations and hello to personalized care that puts your needs first. Want to know how our plan can benefit you?
What Our Patients Are Saying
Read what our clients have said about what left them smiling whenever they leave our office!
It is difficult to find the words to sufficiently describe the highest standards of care I received from Dr. Baker and his assistant Jamaal. After a traumatic fall when visiting Seattle for a few days, Dr. Baker saw me early in the a.m. on his day off, and made me two beautiful crowns. The amazing Jamaal expertly matched the translucency and color of the teeth to my existing teeth. There is NO perceptible difference. They accomplished all of this in time for me to catch my early afternoon flight. I will be forever grateful to them for their skill, professionalism and kindness.
I had a veneer fall off the night before I was to leave for a vacation. Panicking a bit, I showed up at his office as a new patient at 7am the day I was to leave. Before I could complete my paperwork, I was being seen by Dr. Baker, allowing me to keep my vacation schedule After repairing my tooth he proceeded to fix the reason it came off in the first place. Apparently it wasn't caused by eating one of my daughter cookies at 9pm! Dr. Baker is awesome on many levels, his competence, staff, fees, and modern office are all the things that will make him my new dentist.
I had a great experience with Dr. Baker today. I broke a tip on a back tooth on Sunday and two days later I'm in great shape. Jamal took great care of me making sure I was comfortable. Dr. Baker did a good job explaining what was going on. I showed up for an 8 AM appointment and walked out at 10:30 with a permanent crown in place. It was not my first crown, but it was definitely the easiest crown placement process I have ever experienced. It’s not an inexpensive procedure, but living with a broken tooth has costs too.
What a great space, great people and great service. I am from out of town and had to find somewhere for emergency dental help. From the moment I called them to leaving it was just top notch. Kinda wish they were my everyday dentists now! Highly recommended.
I had an infected tooth from a botched root canal over a year ago. A friend recommended them to me. They got me in same day and immediately hooked me up with an amazing Endodontic specialist. The office is nice, the people are nice and professional and I felt very well cared for!