What to Do If You Have a Dental Emergency

An emergency dental situation may involve anything from severe toothache to uncontrollable bleeding. Although mild toothaches may be treated with over-the-counter medication, it’s always a good idea to contact your dentist and schedule an appointment immediately.

Other common dental emergencies include knocked-out teeth, uncontrollable bleeding and broken facial bones – this article will outline what steps can be taken if any of these occur.

Call Your Dentist

When experiencing a dental emergency, it’s imperative that you contact your dentist as quickly as possible. Most dentists reserve space in their schedules specifically for emergency patients; immediate treatment can save teeth and reduce pain while potentially averting further complications and the potential need for more costly or invasive procedures in the future.

If your dentist office is closed, calling an after-hours line and explaining your issue could provide helpful instruction or recommendations on how to treat the problem until your next scheduled appointment. Alternatively, emergency room care could also provide services – such as treating jaw fractures/dislocations/cuts/lacerations in the mouth/face, severe cuts/lacerations to facial structures such as lips or tongue, swelling which hinders breathing or swallowing, etc – likely including treating and prescribing medication to reduce pain/swelling//disease/etc.

Go to the Emergency Room

People typically visit emergency dentists when experiencing severe pain, knocked-out teeth or other urgent oral health concerns that need urgent treatment. Such issues typically restrict themselves to the oral cavity and require emergency attention in order to avoid serious infection or further complications.

Dental emergencies are among the leading causes of completely avoidable hospital ER trips, which often contain patients suffering from other health concerns. Scheduling regular dental appointments can help protect yourself from these issues and free up more ER beds for those in genuine need of them.

Emergency rooms provide various first aid treatments, including administering pain medications and helping open airways in case of infection. They may also drain and treat dental abscesses before providing instructions for managing the situation until seeing a dentist; such instructions could include applying cold compresses or biting onto pieces of ice to relieve pain and reduce swelling.

Apply a Cold Compress

An acute toothache should be considered an urgent dental matter and needs to be treated immediately. A toothache could indicate infection in your gums or a large cavity that must be addressed quickly in order to avoid serious consequences later. Rinsing with warm salt water, flossing regularly, and taking over-the-counter pain relievers may provide temporary relief before seeing an Vaughan emergency dentist.

Remaining calm and acting quickly are keys to mitigating damage and avoiding additional problems. Keep in mind, however, that temporary relief measures such as these do not replace professional treatment; to get better results you should avoid chewing on the affected side of your mouth until seeing a dentist, as delaying may worsening of symptoms or spread bacteria further throughout your body resulting in more serious health concerns.

Stay Calm

If you find yourself experiencing any type of dental emergency, it is essential that you remain calm. Doing so will allow you to follow your dentist’s instructions more easily and make the most out of treatment.

Dependent upon the severity of your problem, you may require either calling your dentist or going directly to an emergency room for care. Examples of dental emergencies may include:

An intense toothache requires immediate medical attention. If this happens to you, make an appointment with your dentist immediately and seek treatment as soon as possible.

Chipped or broken teeth. You can protect yourself from dental injuries by avoiding rough sports and wearing mouthguards when playing sports.

Bleeding Gums. Bleeding gums could be an indication of gum infection or disease and should be treated as a dental emergency.