What Should I Do If I Have a Dental Emergency?

When was the last time you voluntarily visited a dentist near you? Unfortunately, at The Waterford Dentist, we receive many patients when oral issues have become severe and urgent complications that need immediate dental care. However, this is not the way to approach dentistry. If anything, preventive dental care is only possible if you visit your dentist before you have a dental emergency.

What Is a Dental Emergency?

It is any severe and rather urgent oral problem necessitating immediate medical intervention. Dental emergencies often threaten the health of other oral features in the mouth. Some of the defining traits of a dental emergency are:

1. Unbearable pain levels
2. Prolonged bleeding in the mouth of the surrounding areas
3. Swelling that spreads through the mouth and other facial features like the neck and face
4. Deteriorating muscle movement and oral functionality
5. Damaged or missing dental appliances
6. An oral problem that gets worse as time goes

Common Types of Dental Emergencies

Unbeknownst to many, oral emergencies are very common. They can affect adults and children alike. Some of the prominent dental emergencies in dentistry are:

1. Severe toothaches – many dentists in Waterford will tell you that toothaches are the leading oral emergencies in dentistry. The pain can result from various factors, including severe tooth decay, jaw fracture, and dental trauma.
2. Dislodged teeth – after a traumatic dental injury, many patients have partially or wholly dislodged teeth. Whether your tooth is knocked out or partially detached from the jawbone, you need emergency dental care.
3. Damaged dental appliance – a dislodged dental filling, broken dental crown, or disconnected teeth braces are typical dental emergencies.
4. Deep cuts and wounds – common after accidents or injuries. The wound can be anywhere within your mouth or on the exterior features of your face.
5. Foreign object in the mouth -you can have a foreign object stuck between your teeth or within the throat area. Even though it is common among children, adults too can have this kind of dental emergency.
6. Deep tooth fractures – a cracked or broken tooth can lead to a dental emergency. It depends on how deep the fracture is.

What to Do When You Have A Dental Emergency

Your initial thought should be to find an emergency dentist near you as soon as possible. This way, you can be sure that your oral problem will be treated promptly and safely. However, before you make it to a dental office near you for urgent care, consider the following things to do:

1. Rinse your mouth with salt water – it will remove all loose debris while killing bacteria that can worsen the problem.
2. Take over-the-counter pain medicine – the good news is that you don’t necessarily need prescription over-the-counter drugs. However, they are still helpful because they will manage your pain and inflammation before visiting your emergency dentist.
3. Cold compress – wrap a nice bag with a cloth and place it against the affected area of your mouth. It will constrict the blood vessels alleviating the pain and swelling.
4. Control the bleeding – use a clean cloth and bite down as a bleeding area to stop blood from oozing.
5. Find the missing parts – it applies when you have lost a natural tooth or have misplaced a dental appliance. Finding it in good times allows you to preserve it, potentially heightening the chances of restoration.
6. Avoid eating anything – any wrong move in your mouth can worsen the situation.

What Will Dentists Do When You Visit Emergency Dental Clinics?

Emergency dentists handle every oral emergency uniquely. Depends on the severity and the type of that oral problem at hand. Some of the ways to handle a dental emergency in dentistry are:

1. Tooth extraction – for severely damaged teeth.
2. Dental surgery
3. Replacement or restoration of damaged oral appliances like dental fillings and crowns
4. Root canal treatment – to save a diseased or damaged tooth with the structure still intact.
5. Drainage of an abscessed tooth
6. Medication like antibiotics to destroy bacteria in the mouth