How to Tell Whether You Need Emergency Dentistry

A dental emergency is an oral health condition that requires immediate attention from your dentist. Some cases are obvious, while others are not. Some emergency dental situations are severe, while others are mild. There are many situations where you may find yourself requiring emergency dentist services.

Sharon Dental Group offers dental emergency procedures and emergency dentist services. The dentist handles each case independently. To determine whether you need emergency dental services, you first need to assess your situation.

How to Identify When You’re Having a Dental Emergency?

Dental emergencies can involve severe pain, excessive bleeding, a knocked-out tooth, or severely loosened, cracked, or chipped tooth. If you have a dental emergency, you should seek professional dental care immediately to improve your odds of saving your tooth.

Some signs that can indicate that you have a dental emergency, are:

• Instant tooth loss – Accidents happen. If you experience a car crash, a fall, sports injury, or an assault that causes your tooth to fall out you need to seek emergency dental care to fix the missing tooth.
• Bleeding gums – When your gums are bleeding unexplainably, you should visit an emergency dentist.
• Loose tooth – Wobbly teeth are not typical, especially for an adult. It sends a signal that you may have a dental emergency.
• Severe toothache – A toothache is usually very painful. If you experience unbearable pain in your tooth, it’s a sign you need immediate dental care.
• Pulsing/swollen tooth – You may experience the feeling of a hot tooth at some point. In such a case, it indicates an underlying dental infection.
• Dental abscess – A dental abscess occurs when you have an infected tooth. It happens when pus forms around a tooth.
• Swollen gums and jaws – Swollen gums and jaws are associated with pain between the teeth.
• Metallic taste in the mouth – Occurs when you have an infection in the mouth.

What Do I Do if I Need Emergency Dental Care?

You should first call your dentist and inform him or her about your situation. If your emergency happens during the weekend, on a holiday, or outside regular working hours then you should still call the dental office and their voicemail will typically give you directions on what to do if you’re experiencing an emergency.

If you are unable to find a dentist to help with your emergency then you should seek medical care from your local emergency room.

Common Types of Dental Emergencies

Dental emergencies require instant dental care to relieve your pain or save your tooth. The following are typical dental emergencies that require emergency visits to your dentist.

• Cracks or chips
• Knocked out tooth
• Soft tissue injury
• Severe toothache
• Loose dental restoration

Instances When You Do Not Need an Emergency Dentist

There are some conditions that you may confuse with a dental emergency, such as a mild toothache, broken crowns, lost fillings, broken dental appliances, and a mouthguard or mild bleeding.

Although such cases can be frustrating, they are not causes for an emergency dental visit. You should instead schedule an appointment with your regular dentist.

Conclusion

When you detect signs of a dental emergency, seek dental care immediately. You may stand a chance to save your teeth or heal an underlying infection before it causes severe damage. When you cannot find an emergency dentist, visit an emergency room.