Dental Emergencies

The best same day dentist for emergencies in Hunt Valley, MD

Dental emergencies can be quite frightening and uncomfortable. Prompt treatment is always required to alleviate pain and to ensure that your teeth have the best possible chance of staying healthy.


Sometimes, teeth are fractured by trauma, grinding, or biting on hard objects. In other cases, fillings, crowns, and other restorations can be damaged or may even fall out of the mouth completely. If you have any kind of dental emergency, it is essential that you contact our office immediately. Dental emergency situations will get worse without treatment and can seriously jeopardize your overall health.

A woman is sitting on a couch with a toothache. Emergency dentist in Hunt Valley, MD for urgent dental care.
A woman is sitting on a couch with a toothache.

Dental Emergencies

Dental emergencies can be quite frightening and uncomfortable. Prompt treatment is always required to alleviate pain and to ensure that your teeth have the best possible chance of staying healthy.


Sometimes, teeth are fractured by trauma, grinding, or biting on hard objects. In other cases, fillings, crowns, and other restorations can be damaged or may even fall out of the mouth completely. If you have any kind of dental emergency, it is essential that you contact our office immediately. Dental emergency situations will get worse without treatment and can seriously jeopardize your overall health.

A man is sitting on a couch with a toothache. Emergency dentist in Hunt Valley, MD for urgent dental care.

Lost Filling or Crown

Very often, a crown or filling can become loose or fall out while eating or chewing, causing the tooth to become sensitive to temperature changes and pressure. Crowns and fillings generally become loose because the tooth structure beneath is decaying. Because of this, a new replacement crown or filling is usually needed.


If one of your crowns or fillings comes out, make an appointment to come into our office as soon as possible. Keep the crown in a Ziploc bag or other safe place because there is a possibility that we may be able to recement it if it still fits the tooth properly. If the crown is out of the mouth for a long period of time, however, the tooth can sustain further damage and/or the teeth around it may shift, making it difficult or impossible to put the crown back on the tooth.

Toothaches, Dental Infections, or Swelling

Infections can affect the teeth, the gums or any of the oral soft tissues. Tooth infections usually result either from an injury or from untreated bacterial decay that infects the nerve tissue inside the tooth. This infection spreads throughout the tooth and into the bone surrounding it, usually—but not always—resulting in pain and swelling.


Gum infections can result from injury, getting a piece of food (or other material) stuck under the gum, or sometimes even just waiting too long between professional dental cleanings. As with tooth infections, there may or may not always be pain and/or swelling present.


One of the important things to know about any kind of oral infection is that IN MOST CASES, ANTIBIOTIC TREATMENT ALONE WILL NOT COMPLETELY SOLVE THE PROBLEM. Usually, further treatment such as root canal therapy, periodontal scaling, or sometimes even oral surgery is needed to ensure that the condition is treated properly.


If you have a toothache, swelling, or see pus coming out of your gum, be sure to contact our office for an appointment with an emergency dentist in Hunt Valley, MD as soon as possible so that we can provide the proper treatment. These infections tend to spread and cause even worse problems that can be easily avoided if they are caught and treated early enough.

A man is sitting on a couch with a toothache.
A man is sitting on a couch with his hand on his face.

Toothaches, Dental Infections, or Swelling

Infections can affect the teeth, the gums or any of the oral soft tissues. Tooth infections usually result either from an injury or from untreated bacterial decay that infects the nerve tissue inside the tooth. This infection spreads throughout the tooth and into the bone surrounding it, usually—but not always—resulting in pain and swelling.


Gum infections can result from injury, getting a piece of food (or other material) stuck under the gum, or sometimes even just waiting too long between professional dental cleanings. As with tooth infections, there may or may not always be pain and/or swelling present.

One of the important things to know about any kind of oral infection is that IN MOST CASES, ANTIBIOTIC TREATMENT ALONE WILL NOT COMPLETELY SOLVE THE PROBLEM. Usually, further treatment such as root canal therapy, periodontal scaling, or sometimes even oral surgery is needed to ensure that the condition is treated properly.


If you have a toothache, swelling, or see pus coming out of your gum, be sure to contact our office for an appointment as soon as possible so that we can provide the proper treatment. These infections tend to spread and cause even worse problems that can be easily avoided if they are caught and treated early enough.

A woman is sitting on a bench with her hands on her face.

Cracked or Broken Teeth

Teeth are strong—in fact, tooth enamel is the hardest substance in the human body! However, they are still susceptible to fractures, cracks, and breaks. Sometimes these injuries are fairly painless, but even so, if a tooth has been fractured or cracked, it’s very important to schedule an appointment with us as quickly as possible so that the damage can be repaired—before it turns into something much worse that will be harder (and more expensive) to treat.

Avulsed Tooth

(Tooth Knocked Out)

A tooth can be completely knocked out of its socket in an accident, sports injury, or other similar incident. When this happens, it is essential to see a dentist immediately. In many cases, if the tooth can be placed back into its socket within an hour, there is a chance the tissues will grow to support the tooth once again. Otherwise, there will be damage to the tooth’s nerves, blood vessels and other tissues and the tooth will be permanently lost.


Here are the steps to take if you or someone you know has a tooth knocked out:

  1. Call our office.
  2. Pick up the tooth BY THE CROWN and rinse it under warm water. DO NOT TOUCH THE ROOT.
  3. If possible, place the tooth back into its socket. Don’t force it—if it doesn’t easily go right back in to its proper position, tuck it into the area between the lower gum and cheek (if it is safe to do so).
  4. If the tooth cannot be placed in the mouth, put the tooth into a cup of milk, saliva, or water as a last resort. It is important to keep the tooth from drying out.
  5. Get to our office, quickly and safely.


We will try to replace the tooth in its socket. In some cases, the tooth will reattach, but if the tissues of the teeth are seriously damaged, it may be beyond saving. Even if the tooth does reattach, root canal therapy might be necessary. In any case, acting quickly will give you a chance to have the best outcome possible.

Dentist examining little girls teeth.
Dentist examining young patients teeth.

Avulsed Tooth

(Tooth Knocked Out)

A tooth can be completely knocked out of its socket in an accident, sports injury or other similar incident. When this happens, it is essential to see a dentist immediately. In many cases, if the tooth can be placed back into its socket within an hour, there is a chance the tissues will grow to support the tooth once again. Otherwise, there will be damage to the tooth’s nerves, blood vessels and other tissues and the tooth will be permanently lost.


Here are the steps to take if you or someone you know has a tooth knocked out:

  1. Call our office.
  2. Pick up the tooth BY THE CROWN and rinse it under warm water. DO NOT TOUCH THE ROOT.
  3. If possible, place the tooth back into its socket. Don’t force it—if it doesn’t easily go right back in to its proper position, tuck it into the area between the lower gum and cheek (if it is safe to do so).
  4. If the tooth cannot be placed in the mouth, put the tooth into a cup of milk, saliva, or water as a last resort. It is important to keep the tooth from drying out.
  5. Get to our office, quickly and safely.


We will try to replace the tooth in its socket. In some cases, the tooth will reattach, but if the tissues of the teeth are seriously damaged, it may be beyond saving. Even if the tooth does reattach, root canal therapy might be necessary. In any case, acting quickly will give you a chance to have the best outcome possible.

A woman is sitting in a dental chair with a toothache.

Emergency Dentistry at Nathanson Dental

Emergency dentistry is a specialized dental service that provides immediate and effective care for dental emergencies. With expertise, convenience, peace of mind, and prevention benefits, emergency dentistry can help alleviate pain and discomfort and prevent further damage. If you are experiencing a dental emergency in Hunt Valley, MD, it is important to seek immediate care from Nathanson Dental.

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