Dental Emergencies

Dental Emergencies

A dental emergency from unexpected tooth pain, a crack, break, or trauma can certainly ruin your day. If you are experiencing unexpected tooth pain of any kind, it is important to call our office for an immediate evaluation. Delaying the treatment of your dental emergency can result in permanent damage to your teeth and greatly affect your long-term appearance as well as oral health.

A dental emergency needs to be addressed immediately and be treated with the same urgency as other health emergencies. Whether you are a new patient or a long-standing one, we see emergencies within 24 hours and strive to keep you as comfortable and pain-free as possible while evaluating and treating your emergency. From your initial dental evaluation to successfully treating your emergency, will handle your dental emergency effectively and with compassion.

What is a Dental Emergency?

There are various reasons as to why you may require emergency dental care. Sudden dental problems that need treatment include: rebuilding a cracked or broken tooth, addressing a severe infection, or alleviating pain.

If you are experiencing any of the following, seek emergency dental care (our after office number is available via text, and it’s also included in the doctor’s part of the website):

• Unexplainable toothache: If you are experiencing severe tooth pain, this is a sign that there is something wrong. Toothaches are your body’s way of showing you that something is wrong in your mouth. The longer you wait, the worse the symptoms and issues can be.
• Cracked, knocked out, or broken tooth: This issue can cause severe pain and damage to the tooth. It is important to seek emergency dental care so that the tooth can be properly cared for and repaired.
• Swollen/bleeding gums: minor swelling or bleeding of the gums is normal. However, if the issue becomes severe it is considered a dental emergency. If pain and swelling are accompanied by excessive bleeding, seek immediate care. This can be an underlying issue such as periodontal disease. Treatment will help to keep the gums, teeth, bones, and tissue healthy.
• Swollen mouth or jaw: If your mouth or jaw suddenly becomes swollen, you may have an infection, irritation to your lymph nodes, or another issue.
• Exposed nerves: This can be excruciating and can lead to more problems like tooth damage and infections if left untreated.
• Broken crown: Losing a crown can leave the tooth exposed and cause pain. It can also lead to infection in the tooth.
• Abscessed tooth: Dental abscesses are severe and can be potentially life threatening. They can cause fevers, tooth sensitivity, swelling in the face, and even tenderness in the lymph nodes.
• Soft tissue injury: Severe cuts or bites to the lips or tongue are considered a dental emergency.

What To Expect With Dental Emergency Treatment

Untreated dental emergencies can lead to more serious problems, and some can even be life-threatening. Seeking immediate attention for dental emergencies will help to eliminate potential risks and infections and will relieve pain. There is also a greater chance of preserving the affected teeth after receiving proper care.

Dental emergencies can be quite painful, especially if untreated or ignored. The procedure needed to fix the problem depends on the injury or symptoms being experienced. Some dental emergencies may require a simple repair while others may be more extensive. Our team will do their best to make you as comfortable as possible during your treatment using local numbing or anesthetic to aid in alleviating any pain that may be experienced throughout the process. We will assess the problem and use the proper methods of treatment and pain prevention.

Recovering From A Dental Emergency

The recovery time of repairing a dental emergency will vary depending on the initial problem. Sensitivity and discomfort can generally subside within two to three days for simple treatments while more extensive treatments can take up to six weeks to fully heal.