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Emergency Dentist — South Portland, ME

Providing You with Pain-Relieving Dental Care

Woman in need of emergency dentistry holding jaw in pain

Are you facing a dental emergency here in South Portland? In that case, please do reach out – we treat urgent oral issues! You can count on Dr. Parét and her team to provide fast, pain-relieving emergency dentistry. Their expertise and technology will ensure your oral health is fully restored. Plus, an appointment at our office saves you the hassle of an ER visit. If that sounds good to you, just keep reading or book a consultation today.

Why Choose Huckabee Dental for Emergency Dental Care?

  • Fast & Pain-Relieving Dental Treatments
  • Advanced Dental Technology for Streamlined Care
  • We Accept Dental Insurance

How We Treat Dental Emergencies

A blurred view of dentists and a woman in a dental clinic

Perhaps you’ve never had a dental emergency before. Still, there’s no need to worry; Mind Your Mouth has set guidelines for treating them. That said, here’s what to expect from our emergency care process:

  • An Immediate Appointment – Once you’ve contacted us, we’ll book you for the earliest possible visit time. (Urgent oral issues require a fast response.) From there, our staff can offer first-aid tips over the phone.
  • An Emergency Exam – Our team will perform an oral exam right when you arrive for care. By doing so, they can discern the source and extent of your problem. The process also helps them see how best to reduce your pain.
  • Overview of Findings – Following the emergency exam, Dr. Parét will review her findings and suggest options to you. She’ll then consider your feedback and draft a custom treatment plan that suits your needs. (To be clear, the treatment price and timeline are included in this review.)
  • Effective Dental Care – You can trust us to quickly address your oral problems and get your smile back on track. We’ll be ready to give you fillings, crowns, root canal therapy, or whatever else you need.

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

While they can have unique details, many dental emergencies involve the same causes, symptoms, and similar factors. These kinds are thus more common than the other varieties. Given that reality, our office is well-equipped to treat many urgent oral issues. If you suffer any of the following, then, don’t hesitate to see us at once.

Understanding the Cost of Dental Emergencies 

Man holding jaw during emergency dentistry visit

Understandably, you might worry about emergency dentistry’s cost. After all, its treatments won’t help if they exceed your budget and “break the bank.” Even so, there’s no real reason to worry. Before proceeding with treatment, Dr. Parét will keep you in the loop and discuss your pricing and financing details. This step ensures you have what you need to pay for care. Should you have other questions about insurance coverage or financing, though, feel free to ask our dental professionals.

How to Prevent Dental Emergencies

Man receiving dental checkup to preventive dental emergencies

When possible, it’s better to prevent a dental emergency than to manage one. The latter option is troublesome and uses more time, money, and resources. Thankfully, there are ways to reduce your risk of having such an emergency. These methods include the following:

  • Follow a nutritious, mouth-healthy diet
  • Brush and floss your teeth daily teeth
  • See your dentist for six-month checkups and cleanings
  • Don’t use your teeth to open packages, chew on fingernails, etc.
  • Refrain from hard, sticky, or chewy foods
  • Stay hydrated with water
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Toothaches

Is My Toothache a Dental Emergency? Remember, your pain receptors are designed to let you know when something is wrong. So, the last thing you should do is simply try to ignore them. Instead, closely monitor your symptoms, and reach out to our South Portland dental team if they persist for more than 24 hours.

How You Should Handle a Toothache Between now and your visit with Dr. Parét, rinse your mouth periodically with warm saltwater, avoid crunchy, hard, and sticky foods, and take OTC pain medication as directed on the label.

How We Treat Toothaches When you arrive at our office for your appointment, we will ask you a few questions about your symptoms, take X-rays, and visually examine the tooth that’s bothering you. Once we pinpoint what’s causing your discomfort, we can make a recommendation on the best way to proceed.

LEARN MORE ABOUT TOOTH-COLORED FILLINGS

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL CROWNS

Chipped Tooth

Is a Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? Large chips are definitely a dental emergency, so don’t hesitate to reach out to us to schedule a same-day appointment. More minor chips, on the other hand, don’t always need immediate attention; we may recommend coming in before the end of the week instead.

How You Should Handle a Chipped Tooth Before covering the tooth with a piece of sugar-free gum, rinse your mouth thoroughly with clean, room-temperature water to remove any lingering shards from your mouth.

How We Treat Chipped Teeth Cosmetic dental bonding and veneers can both restore the missing structure of your tooth. Of course, they are two completely different treatments, so the one we recommend will depend on important factors like how significant the damage is.

LEARN MORE ABOUT COSMETIC DENTAL BONDING

LEARN MORE ABOUT VENEERS

Cracked Tooth

Is a Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? A cracked tooth is absolutely a dental emergency. It’s of the utmost importance that you contact us right away so we can repair your tooth before an infection develops or it breaks further.

How You Should Handle a Cracked Tooth Naturally, getting to our office for treatment is a top priority. If you have a few hours until your appointment, then don’t put any pressure on your tooth, don’t touch it with your finger, stick to room-temperature water, and take an OTC pain reliever (if necessary).

How We Treat Cracked Teeth It’s possible that we can save your tooth with a dental crown. It’s also possible that removing it is the best way to restore your oral health. In that case, we will also need to determine the best way to fill the gap in your smile (i.e., dental bridge, denture, dental implant).

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL CROWNS

LEARN MORE ABOUT TOOTH EXTRACTIONS

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL IMPLANTS

LEARN MORE ABOUT NIGHTGUARDS

Very Sensitive Teeth  

Are Very Sensitive Teeth a Dental Emergency? You might be surprised to hear that dental sensitivity does sometimes warrant an immediate visit to our South Portland dental office. If, for example, this sensation is present in tandem with other abnormal symptoms, like pain when biting down, getting to our practice immediately is a top priority.

How You Should Handle Very Sensitive Teeth It goes without saying that you should avoid hot/cold foods and beverages entirely. We also recommend steering clear of spicy, sugary, acidic, and crunchy foods as well as taking an OTC pain reliever as directed on the label.

How We Treat Very Sensitive Teeth That depends on what’s causing your dental sensitivity. Sometimes, we find tooth decay during the exam and need to intervene with a tooth-colored filling. Other times, we find an infection in the gums, which necessitates gum disease treatment.

LEARN MORE ABOUT TOOTH-COLORED FILLINGS

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL CROWNS

LEARN MORE ABOUT GUM DISEASE TREATMENT

Knocked-Out Tooth  

Is My Knocked-Out Tooth a Dental Emergency? Absolutely! In addition to finding your tooth, calling our South Portland dental office should be a top priority. That way, we can schedule an appointment ASAP and, in turn, have the highest chance of saving your tooth.

How You Should Handle a Knocked-Out Tooth If you can’t find the tooth, don’t worry – it’s more important that you get to our office for treatment. If you can find the tooth, then try placing it back in its socket. If it doesn’t go back into place easily, do the next best thing: submerge it in a clean container filled with milk.

How We Treat Knocked-Out Teeth First, we will see if saving your tooth is a possibility. If it isn’t – whether it’s because you don’t have the tooth or it was badly damaged – then we will address any other dental damage before filling the new space in your smile with a dental bridge or implant.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL BRIDGES

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL IMPLANTS

Lost Filling or Crown  

Is a Lost Filling or Crown a Dental Emergency? Yes, you should contact our South Portland dental team right away if you’ve lost a dental filling or a dental crown. Remember, even a small restoration that’s no longer in place leaves your tooth vulnerable to additional damage, including an infection.

How You Should Handle a Lost Filling or Crown Rinse your mouth thoroughly with clean, lukewarm water to help keep your mouth clean. Additionally, you should avoid chewing on that side, steer clear of crunchy, hard, and sticky foods entirely, and keep your restoration somewhere safe, like a small, clean container.

How We Treat Lost Fillings or Crowns We always have the option of providing you with a new dental filling or crown. There is also a possibility that we can re-cement your old dental crown back in place, especially if it’s relatively new and in good condition.

LEARN MORE ABOUT TOOTH-COLORED FILLINGS

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL CROWNS

Broken Denture

Is My Broken Denture a Dental Emergency? Since many patients associate dental emergencies with pain, they assume a broken denture isn’t anything urgent. That’s not the case. To prevent your restoration from breaking further and restore the look and function of your smile, you should call our South Portland dental team ASAP.

How You Should Handle a Broken Denture Instead of wearing your broken denture, put it in a small, clean container for safekeeping. If you have a backup denture, wear it in the meantime. If you don’t, then stick to soft foods, like plain yogurt, bananas, and scrambled eggs.

How We Treat Broken Dentures Luckily, dentures that are in need of minor repairs can usually be fixed at our office. Of course, if your restoration has shattered into multiple pieces, then our only option is to have it replaced with a new traditional or implant denture.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTURES

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL IMPLANTS

Loose Permanent Tooth

Is a Loose Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency? A loose permanent tooth isn’t just painful; it’s also at risk of falling out completely. That’s why it’s so important that you schedule an exam with our dedicated emergency dentist, Dr. Katherine Parét, right away.

How You Should Handle Loose Permanent Teeth Do NOT eat anything crunchy, hard, or sticky. It’s also important that you don’t wiggle the tooth with your tongue or finger, even though it might be tempting. Instead, get an appointment with us on the calendar ASAP and rinse your mouth periodically with clean, cool water in the meantime.

How We Treat Loose Permanent Teeth If your tooth is barely hanging out, then the best choice for your oral health may be to extract it before putting a dental bridge or implant in its place. That said, our goal is always to save your teeth whenever possible. So, if we can help your tooth heal back in place with a dental splint, we will.

LEARN MORE ABOUT TOOTH EXTRACTIONS

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL BRIDGES

LEARN MORE ABOUT DENTAL IMPLANTS

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Is an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue a Dental Emergency? Usually, soft tissue injuries like these aren’t a dental emergency because they can be handled at home in a few easy steps.

How You Should Handle an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue First, go to the sink and rinse your mouth thoroughly with clean, cool water. Second, use a damp washcloth to apply pressure to the cut so the bleeding stops. At this point, we recommend using a cold compress to alleviate the swelling, which will help you avoid biting down on the same spot again.

How We Treat Injuries to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue In most cases, soft tissue injuries can be handled with the previously mentioned steps. That said, you should head to the ER if the bleeding persists after 10 minutes of applying pressure or if you’re experiencing other potentially life-threatening symptoms, like trouble breathing.

Jaw Pain

Is Jaw Pain a Dental Emergency? That depends. Has it progressed to the point where it’s interfering with your day-to-day life? Is the pain getting worse instead of getting better? If so, you should absolutely contact us ASAP to schedule an exam.

How You Should Handle Jaw Pain For short-term relief, try using a cold compress for 10 minutes at a time and taking OTC pain medication as directed. Sticking to soft foods can also help since they don’t require extensive chewing power.

How We Treat Jaw Pain Simply put, your jaw pain could stem from several problems, including chronic teeth grinding and TMJ dysfunction. For that reason, we won’t have a recommendation until we complete a comprehensive oral exam.

LEARN MORE ABOUT NIGHTGUARDS

LEARN MORE ABOUT TMJ TREATMENT

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

Is a piece of food lodged firmly between your teeth? Not only can this be quite uncomfortable, but it’s also possible for the debris to negatively impact your oral health if left in place. So, removing it is a top priority. We recommend rinsing thoroughly with warm saltwater before using floss to gently clean between your teeth.

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