Dental Emergency

Whenever you experience an oral injury or dental problem, you will need to know if you require emergency dental care. Not every type of dental problem represents an emergency. For example, having tooth sensitivity or bleeding gums may or may not be a true dental emergency.

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A dentist can provide you with care for problems like:

Chipped tooth
Damaged or missing restoration
Broken tooth repair
Dental abscess
Severe toothache

Severe problems or dental injuries can result in even worse problems if dental care is not sought out promptly. On the other hand, a minor chipped tooth or a broken wire with your braces might be something that can wait until your next appointment.

Here are a few common types of dental emergencies and how to handle them.

Missing Tooth

If you should have a tooth get dislodged or knocked out, you need to visit your dentist right away. Until you can do so, take these steps to save and preserve the tooth:

Place the tooth in milk if available.
Gently place a cotton ball or gauze into the tooth socket.
If the tooth is broken into pieces, rinse and save them if possible.

Damaged or Lost Restoration

In some cases, you may not even realize that you have lost a dental crown or filling. Many times, a patient will actually swallow them. Hang onto the filling or crown if you still have them.

Sooner or later, the affected tooth will become quite sensitive, even when just breathing in air through your mouth. Many patients are helped by applying clove oil, a natural anesthetic, to numb the sensitivity until they can reach the dentist.

Severe Toothache

A severe toothache can indicate a range of problems. One thing to try right away is to rinse out your mouth using warm water. You could also gently floss the tooth to ensure that no food debris is there. If the pain is still present, contact your dentist or emergency dentist. They can provide you with prompt pain relief and schedule an appointment to have the underlying cause addressed.

Biting Your Tongue or Cheek

It is surprisingly easy to bite your tongue or cheek when you eat, chew gum, or are just not paying enough attention. In most cases, it isn’t a major concern. Begin by rinsing your mouth out using salt water. You can try placing some gauze over the injury.

The situation becomes a problem whenever you begin bleeding and it will not stop. In this case, go to the emergency room or contact your dentist.

Inflamed Wisdom Teeth

Wisdom teeth often cause problems for patients. Some people develop gum disease when their wisdom teeth do not properly emerge. This could lead to irritated gums and bad breath. Although this is not normally an actual dental emergency, you should still contact your dentist for recommendations or to schedule an appointment to get it checked out.

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Dental concerns deserve urgent attention. Contact us if you are experiencing discomfort, pain, bleeding gums, or a damaged tooth. We happily accept new patients and many insurances.