A dental emergency can be a stressful and scary experience, especially if you don’t know what to do or expect. Thankfully, your emergency dentist is highly skilled at treating urgent dental problems, and with a few exceptions most emergency dental care will follow the same format.
Don’t panic about what to expect in an urgent dental situation. Here are 5 common dental emergencies, and how your emergency dentist will likely treat them.
Tooth Fractures
A fractured tooth is one of the most common dental emergencies, and as such is one that your dentist has likely treated many times. While the severity of the damage will determine the exact treatment, you can expect your dentist to repair a fractured tooth with a filling, crown, or in some very severe cases, an extraction. Should you fracture or crack a tooth, don’t wait to get care. Contact your dentist as soon as possible, as left untreated your tooth could become infected or more damaged.
Lost Dental Fillings
Should you lose a dental filling or crown, contact your dentist as soon as possible. While you may not need to be seen on the same day, you should still have the filling replaced as soon as possible. Lost fillings may not hurt, but they can eventually lead to further damage of the tooth, as well as tooth infection. This could eventually require a root canal, and the sooner you can repair the tooth, the easier it will be to avoid this.
Bleeding and Trauma
Accidents happen, and sometimes a slip and fall, sports injury, or other events can injure your mouth. As a result, you may experience bleeding or trauma to your teeth or gums. If your tooth is accidentally knocked loose or out, it is sometimes possible to save it, but you’ll need to act quickly. If it has come out completely, immediately place the tooth back in its socket, or between your cheek and gums. You can also submerge it in milk, saline solution, or an ADA approved tooth preservation kit, but never store it in water.
Next, immediately call your dentist for further instructions. If possible, they will do their best to try to save the tooth, but unfortunately there are no guarantees, as your tooth will begin to die within 15 minutes of being knocked out.
If your child loses a baby tooth, these cannot be reimplanted, so there is no need to preserve it. However, you should still contact your dentist as soon as possible for an appointment to make sure the injury is not too severe and there is no permanent damage to the adult teeth or jaw.
Constant Toothache
It is not uncommon to experience occasional, temporary pain on or around the tooth. This can be caused by many things, including cavities, tooth sensitivity, gum irritation, or jaw clenching. In some cases, it could be a sign of a tooth infection. To rule out any dangers to your oral health, if you are experiencing a toothache, contact your dentist for an appointment. If the tooth pain is constant or throbbing, this is considered a dental emergency, and you should be seen by your dentist as soon as possible.
Post Dental Surgery Problems
Pain and sensitivity following dental surgery and some minor procedures are perfectly normal, especially with extractions or root canals. However, if the pain is abnormal, accompanied by a fever, worsening with time, or if it does not clear up within several days, contact your dentist as soon as possible, as these are all signs of infection and should be treated immediately.
Remember, while it can be scary to experience a dental emergency, your dentist is well equipped to help. Don’t subject yourself to unnecessary pain or let fear of the unknown prevent you from getting the care you need. Contact your dentist as soon as possible in any dental emergency, or if you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, please call 911.
About Our Practice
At Bruner Dental, we understand that accidents happen, and so do dental emergencies. That’s why our skilled trio of dentists is proud to provide urgent dental care for most dental emergencies. We offer same-day appointments, and for those patients who are fearful or in pain, we are also happy to provide a variety of sedation dentistry options to help you feel comfortable during your treatment.
For an urgent dental emergency, please call us directly at 765-613-3128.
