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RiteSmile Dental

When to See an Emergency Dentist


April 14th, 2022

Overview

The blog post “When to See an Emergency Dentist” provides detailed information about various dental emergencies and how to handle them. The article underscores that dental emergencies often occur outside of normal dental office hours and when such issues arise, it’s time to contact an emergency dentist. What constitutes a dental emergency, and what does emergency dentistry involve? 

Signs of a Dental Emergency

The following are some key signs that the problem you’re experiencing may qualify as a dental emergency. If the following are true, it may be time to find an emergency dentist in your area.

Severe Pain

You might be able to deal with a dull ache or the occasional sharp pain for a day or two. But if the pain is serious, then you should seek emergency dental care. Sometimes pain can radiate through your jaw or head. That’s typically a great reason to go to the emergency dentist or contact your doctor.

Bleeding

If you have injured your mouth in a way that is causing you to bleed more than a few drops, it may be time to see an emergency dentist. You should also go see them if you have mild bleeding that you just can’t get to stop. Mouth wounds normally stop bleeding pretty quickly, so if one does not, that could be a sign that it is more serious.

Fever

If you’re having any sort of dental trouble that is accompanied by a fever, then you probably have an infection in your tooth roots or gums. This can be a big deal, since the infection could spread to your bloodstream or to other sensitive tissues. You should go see an emergency dentist sooner rather than later so you can get treatment.

Common Emergency Dental Problems

The following are specific problems that might warrant a visit to the emergency dentist.

Broken Tooth

A tiny chip out of a tooth that does not hurt is not a dental emergency, in most cases. This is something you can call your ordinary dentist to talk about in the morning. However, if the chip is large, painful, or seems to have exposed the deeper layers of your tooth, you should see the emergency dentist.

If you have the piece of tooth that chipped off, make sure you bring it with you. In some cases, the dentist may be able to attach the chipped off piece of tooth to the rest of your tooth. But this has to be done promptly, which is why you need to see the emergency dentist.

If you lose the chip, don’t worry. There are ways emergency dentists can repair a chipped tooth without it. They may use dental bonding, which is a procedure similar to that used to fill cavities. Or, they may cover the tooth with a crown if the chip is bad.

Lost Teeth

If a tooth has fallen out completely, that is often an emergency dental situation. This happens a lot with kids who play sports. Or sometimes, people trip or slip on the sidewalk and hit their mouths.

You can store it in some milk on the way to the dentist. Packing some gauze into the empty tooth socket can help ease the pain and bleeding.

Sometimes an emergency dentist can put a tooth back in place. Other times, they may recommend coming back for an implant. Either way, it’s important to have them look over the tooth socket as there may be tooth root tissue that didn’t fall out with the rest of the tooth. Even if you end up needing an implant, this root tissue needs to be removed.

Dental Abscess

Sometimes dental abscesses come on slowly and you have plenty of time to seek care. Other times, you may wake up with a pounding toothache, a fever, and swollen gums from an abscess that seemingly came out of nowhere.

Abscesses can be a dental emergency because the pain is just so unbearable. As mentioned above, there is also a risk of the infections spreading, which is one thing emergency dental care can mitigate.

Depending on the location and severity of the abscess, the dentist can treat it in one of a few ways. In the most serious cases, your tooth may be extracted, and you’ll be given antibiotics. You can later have the tooth replaced with an implant or bridge. Other times, your dentist may perform a root canal to remove the dead, decayed tooth tissue but save the rest of the tooth. Root canal procedures are not as painful as you might think. In fact, they generally relieve pain since they remove the abscess and release that pressure.

Missing Fillings

Losing a filling can sometimes be considered a dental emergency. If the filling was large and deep, your nerves may be exposed when the filling falls out, which can make this really painful. There is also concern that the tooth may crack because it is left fragile once the filling falls out.

An emergency dentist can examine the tooth and apply a new filling. Sometimes, though, fillings fall out because the tooth tissue around them has decayed. When this is the case, you might need a root canal, a crown, or perhaps both.

Crowns are put on teeth that are deemed too fragile or sensitive to remain in the mouth on their own. So, if a crown breaks or falls out, this is often a dental emergency. You may be in a lot of pain when you eat or drink, and when your food or beverage touches the exposed tooth. This is because your nerves are exposed.

The emergency dentist generally can’t give you a new, permanent crown right away as these need to be made in a dental lab. That takes time. But what they can do is put a temporary crown over your tooth. This will take care of the sensitivity and keep you from getting any cuts on sharp edges. In a couple of days, you can see your dentist to have a brand new crown made.

If you ever develop any of the problems above, reach out to an emergency dentist. They’re open long hours, and they have the skills needed to address your problems and keep you comfortable. It’s not worth waiting until morning if you are in serious pain, are bleeding, or have a broken or lost tooth. Contact our friendly team today. We’ll be happy to help.

Contact RiteSmile Dental in Sugar Land today!


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