Emergency Dentist in Little Rock AR
A throbbing toothache. A tooth that got knocked out while playing your favorite sport. Pain or sensitivity to hot or cold. Dental emergencies like these can happen at any time. At Dental Solutions of Little Rock, we provide emergency dental care when you need it. This service is available to new and current patients.
How to Reach Us
You can enjoy peace of mind knowing that one of our dentists is on the other side of the line when you contact us after hours or on the weekends. Text or call 501-302-0000 and you will get a response right away. Depending on your emergency, we will let you know if we need to see you as soon as possible or if you can wait.
Text A Toothie
Did you know that you can text us an image of your dental issue? Take a pic of your teeth, gums, or tongue with your phone and text your #toothie to 501-302-0000. We will respond within 24 hours with the issues we see and treatment options.
Click here for detailed instructions on how to text a toothie!
At Home Advice & In-Office Care
If one of our dentists can talk you through your dental emergency, they will give you advice on how to get some temporary relief; for example, they may recommend taking an over-the-counter painkiller if you have a toothache—to help you sleep through the night until you can see us.
Then, as soon as you come in, we will take care of the problem. We can either fix it here or refer you out to a specialist if needed. It depends, of course, on the type of emergency.
How to Handle Common Dental Injuries
Until we can see you, here are some of the most common dental emergencies and our recommendations on how to handle them until you can get to our office:
Toothache: You can rinse your mouth with warm salt water. We recommend that you use ½ teaspoon of table salt to 8 ounces of water. Swish and spit out the water; never swallow it.
Broken or cracked tooth: Rinse your mouth with warm water and place a cold compress on your face over the painful area. Contact our office as soon as possible. If the tooth was broken or chipped, attempt to locate the fragment and bring it in wrapped in damp gauze.
Loosened or knocked-out tooth: If your tooth gets loose due to a form of trauma such as a sports-related incident, call us right away. For a knocked-out tooth, gently place the tooth back in its socket if possible. Always hold the tooth by the crown using a clean piece of gauze or a washcloth. If the tooth is dirty, be sure you rinse the root first, but never scrub it or remove any attached tissues. If you’re unable to reinsert the tooth, hold the tooth under your tongue and contact us right away.
Broken jaw: Put ice or a cold compress on your face and head to the emergency department of your local hospital or an urgent care clinic immediately.
Bitten tongue or lip: Clean the area with a wet washcloth and place a cold compress on the area to decrease swelling. If the bleeding persists or is excessive, go to your local emergency center right away.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I’m not a patient of record, can you see me on the same day?
While we can see you on the same day, it’s preferable to have you come in the following day.
Before your appointment, we’ll have you fill out some paperwork first.
My teen is complaining of mouth pain. Could it be their wisdom teeth?
Yes, their wisdom teeth could be erupting. We will refer your teen to an oral surgeon to evaluate their wisdom teeth to determine if they need to be removed.
My face is swollen and I think I have an abscessed tooth. What should I do?
Contact our practice right away. You can text one of our dentists a picture of your face and they may prescribe antibiotics. Or we may say, “Why don’t you meet us at this location in an hour?” We will examine your mouth and determine what needs to be done.
Are there some dental emergencies that can be avoided?
If you have any dental crowns or bridges, these could potentially come off or chip. The lips or cheeks may get cut due to the exposed underlying tooth. Or you may have a removable denture that may break or crack. To help prevent these emergencies, there are certain foods to avoid. These include taffy, hard crusty bread and unpopped popcorn. You also should avoid chewing ice.
We’ll Make Sure You’re Doing Well
One of the ways we provide exceptional care is by calling patients afterward to see how they’re doing. We always want to make sure our patients are feeling better!
If you believe you have a dental emergency, please contact Dental Solutions of Little Rock today. We also hope to see you for all your dental needs, not just emergency care.