Emergency Dentist Services and Urgent Oral Care NYC

Rockefeller Cosmetic Dentistry is located at 630 Fifth Avenue Suite 1803, New York, NY 10111.
In the event of an emergency, please call us at (212) 581-1091.

Emergency Dental Services / Urgent Oral Care In Manhattan

Accidents happen — even with your teeth. Due to the severe pain associated with oral trauma, we understand the need to immediately fix the issue. So whether you’ve broken or lost a tooth or are experiencing chronic gum bleeding, severe pain, or oral trauma, we’re here to help you — today.

Hours of Operation for Emergency Dentistry

Our Manhattan emergency dentist services are available 7:30am-7:30pm Monday through Saturday at our Midtown location. Available Sundays for emergencies only. Contact us (212) 581-1091 and one of our staff members will be in touch shortly.

Types of Dental Trauma:

all images courtesy The Dental Trauma Guide

Concussion

Concussion – when an injury occurs to the tooth structure without dislodging it (allowing for increased mobility), but with pain associated to tapping the tooth (percussion).

Treatment: Typically no medical treatment necessary.

Patient Care: Soft foods recommended for 1 week.

Sublaxation

Subluxation – an injury that increases mobility of tooth without displacing it (the tooth will budge, but not move). Gingival bleeding confirms diagnosis.

Treatment: Though generally unnecessary, a temporary splint may be placed across the damaged tooth for up to 2 weeks.

Patient Care: Soft foods for 1 week, good oral hygiene practices (soft toothbrush).

Extrusion

Extrusion – a partial displacement of the tooth out of the socket.

Treatment: Clean exposed root with saline, reposition & re-insert tooth into socket, and stabilize for 2 weeks using a flexible splint.

Patient Care: Soft food for 1 week, brush with a soft brush and rinse daily.

Lateral Luxation

Lateral luxation – a fracturing of the bones in the gum surrounding the tooth accompanied by displacement of the tooth (non-axial).

Treatment: Rinse area with saline, apply local anesthesia, reposition tooth, then apply a flexible acrylic or wire splint for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, the splint is removed and your dentist tests for pulp necrosis and root resorption.

Patient Care: Soft food for 1 week, brush with a soft brush and rinse daily.

Intrusion

Intrusion – when the tooth is displaced into the alveolar bone, often accompanied by a fracture to the socket.

Treatment: clean area with saline, suture gingival laceration, then allow 1-2 weeks for natural (spontaneous) repositioning of tooth. If this does not work, orthodontic or surgical (with forceps) reposition may need to be performed.

Patient Care: Soft foods for 2 weeks, brush with a soft brush and rinse daily.

Avulsion

Avulsion – when a tooth is completely displaced, leaving behind an empty socket or one partially filled with a coagulum.

Treatment: IMMEDIATELY seek professional care in the event of a lost tooth. Avoid touching root (grab by crown) and replace in socket, keep in place with a handkerchief. Avoid storage in water, milk works well. Once at our dentist’s office, the dentist will verify proper placement (or reposition tooth), clean area with saline, then apply a flexible splint for 2 weeks. During the interim, you will need to take antibiotics to prevent infection and discoloration. On the next visit 7-10 days later, a root canal treatment should be initialized.

Patient Care: No contact sports or hard foods for at least 2 weeks. Brush and rinse with a soft brush after each meal.

Infraction

Infraction – when the enamel of the tooth cracks without damaging the structure of the tooth.

Treatment: When a marked infraction occurs, treatment involves etching and sealing of the mark to prevent discoloration, otherwise there is no treatment necessary.

Patient Care: Maintain good oral hygiene, no follow-up necessary.

Enamel Fracture

Enamel fracture – when the enamel of the tooth cracks resulting in structural damage (typically a chip in the tooth)

Treatment: If fragment available, your dentist will bind it back to the tooth. Otherwise, dentist will smooth sharp enamel edges and replace chip with composite resin.

Patient Care: Maintain good oral hygiene and schedule a follow-up in 6-8 weeks and again in a year.

Enamel-dentin Fracture

Enamel-dentin fracture – a break that does not affect the pulp, but does damage the enamel and dentin, typically resulting in a large portion of the tooth breaking off.

Treatment: If fragment available, can be bound back to tooth. Otherwise, your dentist can create a glass-ionomer cover or form a permanent composite resin restoration. Before leaving your appointment, the dentist will check for fragments via a radiograph of lips and gums.

Patient Care: good oral hygiene and a follow-up appointment 6-8 weeks, then a year, later.

Enamel-Dentin-Pulp-Fracture

Enamel-dentin-pulp fracture – a break that affects the enamel and dentin as well as exposing the pulp.

Treatment: Dentist applies local anesthetic and isolates tooth with rubber dam, then cleans area of pulp while performing a pulpotomy. Your dentist will then apply a cotton swab until bleeding stops. After pulpotomy material is placed, seal with glass ionomer cement and then restore full tooth with composite resin.

Patient Care: Avoid solid foods for 2 weeks, after 6-8 weeks make a follow-up appointment, then another after a year to ensure pulp and tooth health.

Crown-Root Fracture without Pulp Involvement

Crown-root fracture without pulp involvement –  a break that involves the enamel, dentin, and the surface level to the tooth root (cementum), but that does not expose the pulp.

Treatment: Remove fracture with forceps, clean area and disinfect, suture gingival lacerations (if present), allow gingiva to reattach to dentin, then apply a glass ionomer above the gingival level and repair tooth with composite resin. May require an extraction or replacement depending on severity and angle of break.

Patient Care: No solid food for 1 week and schedule a follow-up in 6-8 weeks, then again in a year. Good oral hygiene is important to resisting infection.

Crown-Root Fracture with Pulp Involvement

Crown-root fracture with pulp involvement – the same fracture as above, but higher up on the tooth, exposing the pulp as well as damaging tooth structure.

Treatment: Can be temporarily stabilized by affixing fragment to adjacent teeth. Otherwise, there are 5 common treatments: fragment removal and gingivectomy, orthodontic extrusion of fragment, surgical extrusion, decoronation (root submergence), or extraction in very deep root fractures.

Patient Care: No solid foods for 2 weeks, maintain good oral hygiene. If temporarily stabilized, soft foods for 2-4 weeks.

Root Fracture

Root fracture –  a break in the root of the tooth that includes enamel, dentin, cementum, and pulp.

Treatment: Rinse exposed root surface and reposition, then stabilize with a flexible splint for 4 weeks (up to 4 months, depending on closeness to cervical area). Monitor healing for up to one year to make sure root necrosis does not occur.

Patient Care: Soft food for one week paired with good oral hygiene. After 4 weeks (to 4 months), remove splint. Clinical and radiographic control after removal of splint. Follow-up at 6 months, one year, then yearly for 5 years.

Alveolar Fracture

Alveolar fracture – when the alveolar process (tooth-bearing part of the jaw) breaks, resulting in one tooth dislocating or several teeth moving as a unit.

Treatment: Clean area, suture gingival wounds if present, then reposition tootth/teeth segment. Dentist will provide a temporary flexible splint to stabilize teeth segment. After 4 weeks, splint removed and further exams performed.

Patient Care: No solid foods for 2 weeks while maintaining twice a day brushing. Follow-up appointments at 6-8 weeks, 4 months, 6 months, 1 year, and annually for 5 years.

Jaw Fracture

image courtesy Scripps.org..

Jaw fracture – a break that may fracture any number of parts of the mandible, and may or may not affect the alveolar process.

Treatment: Manual repositioning or forceps repositioning of displaced segment followed by stabilization using a splint. Intermaxillary immobilization to prevent further breakage. Alternatively, surgical stabilization coupled with plating may be applied. Splint is removed after 4 weeks.

Patient Care: Avoid solid foods for 2 weeks, heavy chewing or large movements of the jaw for 4 weeks. Follow-up appointment in 4 weeks for splint, then in 4 months, 6 months, a year, and annually for 5 years.

To learn more about our emergency dentist services/urgent oral care, please call our Midtown Cosmetic dental office at (212) 581-0191.