What You Should Do When You Have a Dental Emergency

Most people experience a dental emergency at some point in their lives. Whether you are dealing with an injury to your mouth, or you have a family member who needs an emergency visit with the dentist, it is important that you understand how to handle the situation.

When the teeth and gums have been damaged, there are a few things that a dentist can do to save your smile. Don’t delay your treatment! Calling our office right away is the best thing that you can do.

What Constitutes a Dental Emergency?

Certain situations are obvious emergencies, such as an injury that knocked out a tooth or gums that are bleeding because of trauma. But, other situations might seem mild, which still require emergency treatment.

Here are a few examples of common reasons why your teeth or gums might be injured, and you need to call for an emergency appointment:

• Fistfight
• Sports Accident
• Car Accident
• Cracked Tooth
• Broken Tooth
• Tooth Pain
• Abscess in the Gums

Any time the teeth are knocked or damaged, you need to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. Often, emergency treatments are needed after blunt trauma that cracked or harmed the tooth in some way.

In other situations, there is pain without the trauma. If you experience dental pain, then you might have an infection that needs to be treated as quickly as possible.

Immediate Treatments for Dental Emergencies

In the situation where a tooth is broken, you should try to save the remaining fragments. Take these parts with you to the dentist. If a tooth has completely fallen out, you should pick it up by the crown and keep your fingers away from the root. To preserve it until you arrive to the dentist, rinse it in warm water and then put it in milk. Cover the bleeding area with gauze.

For a toothache, try flossing around the tooth to see if food particles are stuck in the gums. Gently rinse the mouth. You can also take pain medication to improve your comfort until you can see the dentist.

Even if you don’t have an appointment, we will accommodate you into the schedule and provide emergency dental care. Making an appointment as soon as you can will help you lower your chance of irreversible tooth loss and prevent long-term harm.

If there is a question about whether you need to see the dentist, it never hurts to call for more information. Our staff will gladly answer your questions and help you decide if an emergency appointment is the best solution. Call us at Dental Group of Bloomingdale to learn more.