What is a Dental Emergency?

403 W Wheatland Rd, Duncanville, TX, 75116, United States

Dental Emergencies: When to go to the Emergency Room

Dental emergencies are pretty common and can be stressful when you don’t know how to go about it. Knowing when to go to the urgent care or emergency room is essential in taking care of your oral hygiene and preventing it from worsening. Many things go into whether something is classified as a dental emergency or when you can wait a few days to see your dentist when they are available. Common dental emergencies entail: 

 

  • cracked and chipped teeth 
  • trauma to the face and jaw 
  • excessive bleeding 
  • an infection

 

Having yearly dental checkups and keeping up with your dental health will allow your dentist to stay updated on the health of your teeth. 

It can be confusing not knowing if you should go to the emergency room or not, but if you are experiencing severe pain in your teeth from trauma to your face and jaw, it may be beneficial to visit your local emergency room to ensure that there is nothing that will progress into something worse.

Knocked Out Teeth

dental equipment

If a tooth has been knocked out, it's crucial to keep it moist. Gently rinse the tooth without scrubbing it, taking care not to touch the root. If possible, reinsert the tooth into its socket. If that's not feasible, submerge the tooth in a glass of milk. Seek emergency dental care immediately—the sooner you get professional help, the higher the likelihood of saving the tooth.

Chipped and Cracked Teeth

Chipped and cracked teeth can be hard to diagnose as an emergency because some chipped teeth don’t cause pain. However, in the process of waiting to see a dentist, being extremely careful when eating is necessary to ensure that the tooth doesn’t chip more and cause more damage. However, some cracked teeth can result in a tooth fracture and require emergency services to ensure the tooth can be saved. If too much time has passed and the fracture is too severe, the tooth may not be saved. 

While waiting for emergency dental care, rinse your mouth with water and apply a cold compress to the side of the mouth that faces the trauma to prevent swelling. Taking Tylenol is okay, but do not use tooth gels to avoid the pain as it can cause damage to your gums and surrounding areas of the tooth. 

Abscessed Tooth

An abscessed tooth is when pus in a portion of the tooth leads to an infection. This is extremely serious, and you must go to an emergency dental clinic or emergency department to prevent the spread of the disease to other parts of your mouth and tissues. An abscessed tooth can cause sensitivity to hot or cold surfaces, leaving you with consistent headaches, fever, and swelling in the mouth. If you are experiencing what may be an abscessed tooth, call your dentist immediately and go to an emergency room if a dentist is not available. 

Visiting your Dentist

Dental emergencies can be highly stressful and complicated to deal with, but here are some things you can do to ensure the health of your teeth and prevent emergencies as much as possible. Visiting your dentist every six months for a checkup and cleaning will allow your dentist to stay updated on your teeth and see if anything needs to be worked on before it becomes a bigger problem. Brushing and flossing your teeth twice a day will keep them clean and prevent the buildup of plaque throughout the day with eating and drinking. 

Finding the right dentist is essential, and we would love to serve you here at Minty Smiles in Duncanville, Texas. Visit our website and call us at 469-759-6964 to schedule your first appointment! We can’t wait to see you soon. 

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