We realize that you can’t exactly plan out emergencies. After all, they pop up at the most inconvenient times! When urgent dental care is needed, then, Drs. Goodwill and Majidian of Cornerstone Dental will be here for you. These two make emergency care a top priority, even building extra time into their schedules to accommodate patients. So, if a dental emergency has you suddenly sidelined, call us now and we’ll see you as soon as possible.
Cornerstone Dental offers after-hours emergency service to their patients of record. Patients will be questioned over the phone about their dental emergency and instructions will be given or the doctor will be contacted, depending on the severity of the emergency. Please note that a teledentistry fee does apply after the on-call dentist is contacted. After-hours phone coverage is Monday-Friday from 5 pm to 8 pm and Saturday-Sunday 8 am to 8 pm. The line will also be answered if the dental office is closed during regularly scheduled business hours. To access the after-hours service, please call the dental office at 701-237-3583 and follow the voicemail instructions.
Often enough, patients don’t know what to expect from emergency dental visits. Still, there’s no need to worry if that fact applies to you. When it comes to your urgent dental care, you can expect these things to take place:
Urgent dental care varies from patient to patient, and the issue in question can have different potential causes. Whatever your emergency, though, call us – we’ll provide instructions on how to manage your problem until you can get to the dental office. Depending on your situation, our care tips can help address the following conditions:
After dealing with the initial shock and pain of a dental emergency, you might start to worry about how much treatment will cost. There is no one answer because dental emergencies come in many different forms and severities. When we recommend the services that we have deemed necessary to restore your oral health, we will also give you a reliable estimate along with a review of your payment options so that you don’t have to stress out about fitting the cost of emergency dentistry in Fargo into your budget.
The overall cost of emergency care is unique for every patient. First, you need to consider the base cost of the initial emergency visit, during which a personalized treatment plan is devised based on the damage that has been done. Then you have to take the individual cost of whatever procedures are needed to stop your pain and repair the damage done to your teeth and gums. It’s basically impossible to know how much you’ll end up paying for your treatment until we’ve taken a look at your teeth, but all of the relevant pricing information will be made available for you before we begin your treatment.
Insurance plans tend to differ somewhat in the treatments they cover and how much coverage they provide, but generally speaking, you can expect your plan to help pay for most of the treatments most commonly associated with dental emergencies, like root canal therapy and dental crowns. Coverage is usually in the range of 50% to 80%, with smaller treatments usually getting better coverage.
Another way to make it easier to pay for emergency care is to apply for third-party financing. This makes it so you don’t have to pay everything all at once; you can instead break the cost up and pay in monthly installments. Our office accepts both CareCredit and LendingClub, two financing companies trusted by health professionals across the country. Our team can help you with the application process right now if you call our office. When helping you figure out ways to pay for emergency care, we’ll go over your financing options in more detail as well as your available methods of payment.
You can save a lot of money on your dental care just by making sure dental emergencies never happen. Not every accident can be predicted or avoided, but a steady routine of brushing and flossing every day in conjunction with regular dental checkups can go a long way towards preventing decay and infection in your mouth. Also, if you notice anything wrong with your teeth and gums, you can protect yourself from more serious problems by seeking care right away instead of putting it off. Small cracks and cavities tend to require less expensive care than damage that already affects a large part of the tooth.
Don’t get us wrong – we’re always here to help get your smile back on track. However, we know how painful and stressful handling a dental emergency can be, which is why we also do our part to help our patients protect their teeth and gums. With this in mind, keep reading to learn a few habits we recommend implementing to prevent cracks, chips, and other dental damage.
The best way to put it is your biannual dental visits aren’t optional; they are essential. In addition to conducting an oral cancer screening, our Fargo dental team uses these appointments to review your X-rays as well as examine your teeth, gums, tongue, and the other soft tissue in your mouth. The goal is to catch dental problems as early as possible. Of course, the cleaning is equally as important because it ensures that we clear away plaque and tartar that your toothbrush and floss missed.
Have you fallen out of the habit of brushing twice a day, flossing daily, or rinsing with mouthwash each evening? If so, then there’s no time like the present to re-commit to a solid oral hygiene regimen! This will help stop those small problems that could turn into an emergency down the road. If you’re having trouble finding motivation, buy a new toothbrush or only save your favorite TV show until after you’ve completed your oral hygiene regimen!
Remember, what you eat impacts the health of your teeth and gums! If you over-indulge on sugary and starchy foods, then your risk of tooth decay and gum disease goes way up. Conversely, opting for nutrient-dense ones will give your body the nutrients it needs to keep your jawbone strong, your gums healthy, and your mouth infection-free. In short, adopting a well-balanced, vitamin-rich diet can help reduce your chances of experiencing a dental injury.
Do you or your child regularly participate in sports? If so, then be sure to wear a mouthguard every time you play to keep your smile protected from unexpected impacts! In fact, professionals even recommend wearing one during non-contact sports, like skateboarding and running. We recommend having a custom mouthguard made so that it fits comfortably and is the appropriate thickness. After all, you don’t need a boxer-sized mouthguard if you participate in track, and you don’t want a thin mouthguard if you box!
If you’re trying to open a package, don’t resort to using your teeth. Grabbing the scissors can save you from a chipped or broken tooth. For the same reason, we don’t recommend using your teeth to remove a bottle cap, hold your keys, open a tube of mascara, or anything similar. We also encourage patients to chew on sugarless gum instead of ice, popcorn kernels, pens, or pencils. This will save your teeth from excessive wear and tear.
Sometimes, small pangs of tooth sensitivity will subside on their own, but persistent tooth pain is usually an indicator of a more serious issue. Unlike your bones and other parts of your body, your teeth can’t heal themselves. So, if your tooth pain does subside, it’s most likely because the nerves inside it have been damaged by infection. To prevent this from happening, give us a call as soon as your toothache begins. We can examine your mouth and treat the issue before it becomes an emergency.
A throbbing toothache can certainly make sleeping a difficult prospect. The most important thing to remember is to keep your head elevated, this will keep blood from gathering and worsening the discomfort. Over-the-counter pain medications like ibuprofen and acetaminophen are great for pain relief as well as topical oral anesthetics like Orajel.
In addition, try to avoid foods that are hot, cold, sweet, or acidic before sleep. These can trigger sensitivity in your teeth and make it more difficult to rest. Lastly, you can try rinsing your mouth with lukewarm salty water or using natural pain relievers like clove oil or a cold compress to soothe your discomfort before bed.
For most dental emergencies, the best thing to do is schedule a same-day appointment with our office. Emergency rooms are often ill-equipped to handle dental issues and most of them don’t keep a dentist on staff. However, there are some exceptions. If your tooth troubles are accompanied by symptoms like:
It’s time to head to the emergency room. The medical professionals there will be better able to treat serious infections and injuries.
When you have an avulsed (knocked-out) tooth, time is of the essence. Once you’ve retrieved it, it’s okay to gently rinse it off, however, you should not scrub the tooth or store it in water for transport. A knocked-out tooth will have some connective tissues still attached to the root. These are vital to preserve for reimplantation. Water will damage these delicate connections, so it’s best to keep it in an ADA-approved preservation kit or a container full of milk or saliva. This will keep the tooth moist and protected while you make your way to your appointment.
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