Emergency Dentist 24/7 Sacramento, CA

Sometimes, it can be hard to know if an issue is a dental emergency or a problem that can wait for regular business hours. Bleeding, swelling, and pain are common with mouth or face injury, accident, infection, dental procedure, or ongoing medical condition. But in some cases, these symptoms can be red flags that indicate the need foquick treatment. Emergency Dental of Sacramento are dentists open on weekends and offer 24/7 emergency dental care.

Common Dental Issues

Each patient’s situation is unique. But there are some common dental problems your emergency dentist office treats regularly.

• Abscess. This is a painful pocket filled with pus around a tooth or on the gums. These are caused by bacterial infection, and the symptoms often include swelling, redness, and throbbing pain. Your dentist may need to drain the abscess, prescribe antibiotics, or perform a root canal to alleviate your discomfort and prevent the infection from spreading.
• Cavity. This is a hole in a tooth caused by decay due to acids and sugars breaking down tooth enamel. While a cavity may start small and painless, it can grow in size and lead to pain and sensitivity. Your dentist may remove the decayed portion of the tooth and fill the cavity with durable material to prevent further decay.
• Toothache. This is pain around or in a tooth, often caused by injury, decay, or infection. Toothaches can range from sensitivity to cold or heat to sharp or throbbing pain that can radiate to the ear or jaw. Treatment depends on the underlying cause of the pain.
• Infection. This is bacterial, viral, or fungal infections in the teeth or soft tissue of the mouth. Infections can be acute, like an abscess, or part of an ongoing condition like gingivitis. Symptoms can be pain, swelling, and bad breath. If infections are not treated in a timely manner, they can spread and cause long-term damage. Antibiotics may be required, in addition to resolving the underlying issue.
• Broken, fractured, or chipped tooth. Damage to teeth from an injury or decay can cause discomfort or even serious pain, depending on how many layers of the tooth are exposed. A damaged tooth may need to be bonded, crowned, filled, or extracted.
• A lost tooth, crown, filling, or other dental appliance. Dislodged teeth or dental work can cause pain and leave teeth vulnerable to infection or further damage. Treatment includes replacing the lost tooth or dental work to restore function for the patient.
• Damaged crown, dentures, or other dental appliances. Dental work can be damaged or worn down over time, and this can compromise its function. Your dentist can repair or replace as necessary to treat or avoid further complications.

Weekend Dental Emergency

According to the American Dental Association, here’s how to know if you need to seek emergency dental care. Urgent dental symptoms include:

• Extreme pain that does not improve with over-the-counter pain medicine such as Tylenol
• Objects caught between teeth or under the gums
• Injury that causes a tooth to be loose or come out
• Trauma or injury that leaves a sharp edge that can injure soft tissue
• Damage to braces, crowns, dentures, spacers, bridges, fillings, and other dental appliances when they lead to loose or sharp pieces that can injure teeth or soft tissue

Non-Urgent Dental Symptoms

• Most pain or swelling that greatly reduces or goes away with general at-home care
• Removal of sutures after a dental procedure
• Adjusting dental appliances like braces, dentures, or bridges that are not at risk of constricting the patient’s airway or causing severe pain or bleeding
• Cavities or chipped teeth that do not cause severe pain, bleeding, or swelling
• Routine exams and cleanings
• A loose baby tooth in a child

If you are unsure about whether your situation requires immediate treatment, our 24-hour emergency patient care team can advise you and help you set up an appointment with a weekend emergency dentist near you.

Causes of Dental Emergencies

• Accidents like falls, collisions involving bicycles or motor vehicles, or workplace accidents
• Injuries to teeth from sports or hobbies, especially if appropriate safety gear is not worn
• Soft-tissue injuries like cuts and contusions in the mouth, tongue, or gums
• Biting hard objects like ice, candy, or unpopped popcorn kernels
• Using teeth as tools to open or loosen packaging
• Teeth grinding or jaw clenching, bruxism, and TMJ
• Infections and abscesses in the gums due to tooth decay, injury, or gum disease like gingivitis
• Dental procedures like surgery, extraction, or root canal
• Damage to dental appliances like braces or dentures and previous restorations like fillings, bridges, and crowns
• Other medical conditions like GERD or sleep apnea and medications such as steroids and immunosuppressants

What to Do When You Have a Dental Problem

Experiencing a dental problem can be stressful, especially when it occurs on a Saturday or Sunday. Pain, swelling, cuts, or broken teeth can interfere with the ability to eat, talk, or participate in daily activities. When you have a dental problem, it is important to stay calm and take steps to evaluate the severity of the problem so you can take appropriate action.

• 1. Note all the symptoms. These can include bleeding or swelling of the cheeks, gums, tongue, or palate; pain from the mouth, teeth, sinus area, or jaw; sensitivity to hot, cold, sweet, or acidic foods and drinks; and bad breath or dry mouth even after brushing teeth.
• 2. Try to identify the source of the symptoms. Bleeding or swelling are often easier to see, as they usually center around the problem area. However, pain, sensitivity, and other symptoms may be harder to isolate. Look for loose or broken teeth, discoloration, and sores or cuts in the mouth, gums, or tongue
• 3. If the dental problem is life-threatening, seek emergency assistance immediately. Symptoms of a life-threatening dental emergency can include:
  • Excessive or uncontrolled bleeding that does not stop after 15-30 minutes
  • Severe swelling that compromises a patient’s ability to breathe or swallow
  • Injury such as breaks or fractures to bones in the face or mouth
• 4. If the symptoms are not life-threatening, try home care. For bleeding, apply gentle but firm pressure to the cut with clean gauze. For pain and swelling, try rinsing with warm salt water rinse (do not swallow salt water), a cold compress, or over-the-counter pain medication like Tylenol or Advil.
• 5. Avoid food and drinks that are hot, cold, overly sweet, acidic, or cause pain. If a tooth is fractured, broken, or chipped, avoid chewing hard or chewy food on that side of the mouth.
• 6. Do not smoke, vape, or chew tobacco. Cigars, cigarettes, and chewing tobacco can leave debris that can get stuck in cavities or cuts, aggravate sensitive tissue, and introduce harmful bacteria. The heat and chemicals in smoke and vapor can aggravate inflammation, sensitivity, and pain.
• 7. Keep Up Your Dental Routine. Continue to gently brush and floss, but be careful to avoid the area with the damaged tooth or soft tissue.
• 8. Contact a dentist as soon as possible. Even when a dental issue is not an emergency, delaying treatment longer than necessary can lead to a greater risk of infection, pain, and long-lasting consequences like tissue or bone loss.

What to Expect at a Weekend Dentist in Sacramento

The process of being treated at a weekend dentist is very much like your regular dentist's office. At Emergency Dental of Sacramento, our dentists have access to the tools, medicine, and other resources needed for most common dental procedures. The main difference in an emergency dental visit, like going to the emergency room at the hospital, is that the main focus is on resolving the issues that are causing your pain.

The first step is to evaluate your condition and identify the cause of any pain, swelling, or other symptoms with a quick but thorough assessment. X-rays or other imaging may be required. Once your condition is assessed, your care team develops a treatment plan that can include managing symptoms to restore function. This may mean medications, fillings, repairing damaged dental appliances, or other dental procedures.

Repair or Replace Damaged Dental Work

Over time, crowns, bridges, fillings, dentures, dental implants, and other dental appliances can break down, loosen, or become damaged. When this happens, the result can often leave sharp edges, cause pain or swelling, lead to infection, and even damage the teeth or tissue around it. In many cases, a broken or dislodged dental appliance needs to be repaired or replaced immediately to prevent further complications for the patient.

Cavity Filling

A cavity is a small hole caused by tooth decay from damage or the enamel wearing away, allowing harmful bacteria in. Over time, that small hole can often grow in size and lead to infection of the root and gums, as well as spreading the bacteria and creating decay in nearby teeth. Even a small cavity can sometimes cause severe pain and swelling or become infected if pieces of food become stuck in it.

Root Canal

Root canals are more extensive procedures required when the decay spreads into the root of the tooth. The tooth is left in place, but the bacteria and pulp are removed. Then, the remaining tooth is cleaned and sealed to prevent new bacteria from entering. In many cases, a patient needing a root canal may experience severe pain, sensitivity, and swelling that may even make it difficult for them to eat or speak.

Tooth Extraction

In some cases where there is severe damage or decay, the tooth may need to be removed entirely. This may be an alternative to a root canal, and a tooth that has been extracted may need a bridge or spacer to make chewing easier and prevent nearby teeth from shifting or becoming damaged. Like a root canal, patients who need a tooth extracted often experience serious pain and swelling and may have a hard time eating or speaking.

Abscessed Tooth

When teeth, roots, or soft tissue become infected, a swollen area called an abscess can form around the tooth. In these cases, the infection may need to be treated before additional procedures, such as fillings, can be performed safely. This may mean draining the abscess, cleaning the area, or prescribing oral antibiotics. In some cases, additional pain medication may also be required.

Remove Stuck Objects

It is not uncommon to get small pieces of food like seeds stuck between teeth or in the gums. This can also occur when there is a cavity or pocket in the gums. If you can’t remove the object yourself with normal dental hygiene tools like floss, mouthwash, or a toothbrush, or if you damage your tooth or gums trying to dislodge the object, you may need to see a dentist to remove the object and treat any pain or infection.

Same-Day Appointments

In many cases, you can get a same-day appointment to be assessed, and depending on the kind of treatment required, you may also be able to have your dental procedure completed in the same appointment. However, some cases may require a follow-up appointment, such as needing to complete treatment with antibiotics first. Your weekend dentists can give you more information based on your specific circumstances.

Payment Options

The caring staff at Emergency Dental of Sacramento is dedicated to offering top-quality care to every patient. We know that unplanned dental costs are stressful, and we strive to make emergency dental treatment as affordable as possible. Our office accepts most insurance plans and a wide range of payment options that include major credit cards, cash, Care Credit, and debit cards. Inquire about additional payment options.

We also offer the Emergency Discount Dental Care Plan, which starts at $8.95 a month and provides 20%-60% savings on emergency dental procedures, available for members’ use right after signing up. EDS-Finance offers flexible financing options, no minimum credit score to apply, and coverage up to $50,000 in emergency dental procedures.

Weekend Emergency Dentist in Sacramento

Getting the emergency dental help you need in Sacramento is easy. The 24-hour emergency patient support team at Emergency Dental Service of Sacramento can help you find a dentist open on weekends, schedule an appointment, provide insurance verification, and offer discounts and financing options for your emergency dental care. Call 1-844-885-1538 or search our network of emergency dental care providers.