Emergency Dentist – Hanford, CA

Timely & Attentive Emergency Dentistry

Woman wincing and holding her cheek in pain needing emergency dentist in Hanford

At Hanford Family Dental Center, we understand the stress and pain that can come with experiencing a dental emergency, which is why we always do our best to fit our patients in for an appointment the same day they call. Whether you’re experiencing a severe toothache or accidentally knocked-out a tooth, you can rely on our skilled team of Hanford emergency dentists to work quickly and effectively to ease your discomfort and restore your oral health. Call our office today if you’re in need of urgent dental attention.

Why Choose Hanford Family Dental Center for Emergency Dentistry?

  • We Accept & Maximize Insurance
  • Trusted & Transparent Dental Care
  • We See Patients of All Ages

How We Treat Dental Emergencies

Woman holding her cheek in pain while visiting emergency dentist
  1. Call Us: The first step you should take if you’re experiencing a dental emergency is to contact our office immediately. We recommend doing this if you’re experiencing any oral discomfort that won’t seem to go away or out-of-the-ordinary symptoms.
  2. Come in for an Examination: As soon as you arrive at our office for your scheduled visit, we’ll get to work by conducting a thorough examination of your teeth and gums and taking any necessary X-rays.
  3. Get a Diagnosis & Treatment Plan: Based on our emergency dentist’s findings, we’ll be able to diagnose the issue at-hand and develop a customized treatment plan to address it. We’ll also provide you with a cost estimate and discuss payment options with you before you consent to move forward with the procedure. If you have any questions, we’ll be sure to answer those as well!
  4. Let Us Repair Your Smile: When you consent to our recommended treatment plan, we’ll quickly get to work to get you out of pain and allow you to enjoy the rest of your day!

The Most Common Dental Emergencies

It can be difficult to know when something is a dental emergency or a fleeting problem, but in any case, it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Below, we’ve listed some of the most common urgent situations we see; however, even if your problem isn’t listed, we recommend giving us a call.

Toothaches

Is My Toothache a Dental Emergency? If you have been experiencing sharp or stabbing toothache pain for more than 24 hours, reach out to our Hanford dental team for an urgent appointment. There can be many reasons for your toothache, and scheduling an urgent appointment can help us diagnose the problem quickly, so we can relieve the pain before it gets a chance to worsen or cause more damage.

How You Should Handle a Toothache: The first step to toothache relief is to schedule an appointment with one of our caring dentists. Next, take care of your tooth by taking an over-the-counter pain medicine, applying a cold compress to your face , and by avoiding chewing with that side of your mouth.

How We Treat Toothaches:

Toothaches can be caused by many things, including infections, tooth decay, or accidental injury. If your pain is due to decay or infection, you may need a tooth-colored filling or a dental crown. For a more serious issue, we may recommend a root canal or extraction.

Learn More About Same-Dental Crowns

Learn More About Root Canal Treatment

Chipped Tooth

Is a Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? While a chipped tooth is always considered an urgent matter, exactly how urgent largely depends on how severe the chip is and where it is located. To determine how soon you need to be seen, give us a call and we’ll help assess the situation and get you scheduled as soon as possible.

How You Should Handle a Chipped Tooth: First, call your Hanford dental team and schedule an appointment. Then, keep your mouth clean by rinsing with room-temperature water. You can protect the tooth from further damage or from becoming infected by covering it with sugar-free gum. If you eat anything before your appointment, avoid anything sticky, sugary, crunchy, or acidic.

How We Treat Chipped Teeth: This depends on how big the chip is and where it is located on your tooth. In some cases, we may be able to repair it with direct bonding, a procedure that uses the same materials as used in tooth-colored fillings. You may also want to consider a veneer, which is a thin porcelain shell that fits over the front face of the tooth to hide chips, cracks, discoloration, or other damage.

Learn More About Veneers

Cracked Tooth

Is a Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? A broken or cracked tooth is always considered a dental emergency and repairing it should be done as soon as possible. If your tooth cracks, call our Hanford office as soon as possible to schedule an appointment. We will provide further care instructions that you can do at home until your arrival.

How You Should Handle a Cracked Tooth: To prevent any further damage to your tooth, be sure to avoid chewing on that side of your mouth, only eat soft foods, and do not smoke or use your teeth for anything other than food, such as biting your nails or chewing on pen caps.

How We Treat Cracked Teeth: In some cases, we may be able to repair your tooth with the help of a dental crown or filling. If the damage is very extensive, you may require an extraction and dental implant or bridge.

Learn More About Dental Crowns

Learn More About Tooth Extractions

Very Sensitive Teeth

Are very sensitive teeth a dental emergency? While slight tooth sensitivity isn’t an emergency, highly sensitive teeth can be. The latter type stems from things like deep cavities, cracked teeth, and gum disease – major threats to your oral health. That being the case, see us at once if your teeth become very sensitive.

How you should handle very sensitive teeth: The right move is to call our office. Based on your descriptions, we’ll confirm whether your sensitive teeth need dental care or not. Whatever our final diagnosis, our team can also suggest lifestyle changes to help you manage. These would include drinking warm water, avoiding certain foods, or taking over-the-counter pain relievers.

How we treat very sensitive teeth: Based on their cause, we have several ways to treat sensitive teeth. One of our go-to options for mild cases is to provide (or suggest) special oral products – desensitizing toothpaste, prescription mouthwash, etc. When the sensitivity is severe, we’ll often advise procedures like root canals or gum disease treatment; infections are often the root issue in those cases.

Learn More About Fluoride Treatments

Learn More About Tooth-Colored Fillings

Learn More About Gum Disease Treatment

Learn More About Root Canal Treatment

Knocked-Out Tooth

Is a knocked-out tooth a dental emergency? As you’d expect, yes – a knocked-out tooth is a very severe dental emergency. It affects both your smile’s look and your long-term oral health. Unless you treat the condition quickly, it’ll lead to permanent tooth loss and costly dental care. You’d thus be wise to see a dentist for same-day care if (or when) it occurs.

How you should handle a knocked-out tooth: It’s typically simple to handle a knocked-out tooth at home. Firstly, find the tooth and pick it up by its crown; touching the roots would cause damage. You should then rinse the pearly white and store it in milk or saline solution. Alternatively, you could use a tooth preservation kit with the ADA seal of approval.

How we treat knocked-out teeth: If the lost tooth is viable, we’ll first try and re-implant it in your mouth. It could then re-integrate with your smile and restore your oral health. Our team will only suggest replacement options (dental bridges, implants, etc.) if it can’t be salvaged; prosthetics would help you avoid untreated tooth loss.

Learn More About Dental Bridges

Learn More About Dentures

Learn More About Dental Implants

Lost Filling or Crown

Is a lost filling or crown a dental emergency? A lost filling or dental crown isn’t often an emergency, as such restorations aren’t meant to last forever. That said, you should still see your dentist for help when you can; lacking a filling or crown can lead to a tooth infection.

How you should handle a lost filling or crown: When missing a dental crown, please locate and bring it to your appointment; we can reseal it if it’s in decent shape. On the other hand, please leave your missing dental fillings alone; they can’t be resealed once they’ve fallen out.

How we treat lost fillings or crowns: If your restoration is intact, we could recement it into place. However, you may need a new filling or crown if the old one is lost or too damaged and weak.

Learn More About Tooth-Colored Fillings

Learn More About Dental Crowns

Broken Denture

Loose Permanent Tooth

Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Jaw Pain

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

Understanding the Cost of Dental Emergencies

Dental team member showing a patient where to sign on a clipboard

The cost of your emergency dental visit will depend on what diagnostic processes are necessary and the treatment needed to address your symptoms. Our team takes pride in offering transparent pricing and dental care, which you can see for yourself by reading our 1,000+ 5-star Google reviews! Before moving forward with any procedures, we’ll make sure that you fully understand the cost of your treatment and your payment options. Our team is in-network with most major PPO plans as well, helping you maximize your savings.

Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies

Woman smiling while flossing her teeth

While it’s impossible to completely avoid experiencing a dental emergency, there are several steps you can take to drastically reduce your risk of needing to visit an emergency dentist in Hanford, such as:

  • Maintain a good at-home dental hygiene routine.
  • Visit our office every six months for routine checkups and cleanings.
  • Never use your teeth to open packages or chew on hard items.
  • Protect your teeth from grinding and during contact sports with customized mouthguards.
  • Maintain a balanced diet and stay hydrated with water.
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