What To Do When You Have A Dental Emergency?

Good dental hygiene and check-ups are essential to maintaining excellent dental health. Still, that doesn’t exempt you from dental problems. For instance, you can accidentally break your tooth when eating, playing sports, or during a car accident.

Dental problems can happen in many forms. Some require urgent care, while you can treat others later. Thus, your actions after a dental injury or discomfort will determine the outcome.

It’s highly advisable to have an emergency dentist to guarantee prompt and effective treatments during a dental emergency. Contact our emergency dentistry in Easton, PA, for emergency treatment near you.

Is Your Dental Problem Urgent?

It’s highly essential to be able to distinguish which dental issues require emergency care and which ones don’t. If you’re only experiencing minor tooth pain, you don’t have to wake your emergency dentist for treatment. You can wait until the morning for the dental office to open. Below are examples of non-emergency dental issues:

• A non-painful broken, chipped, or cracked tooth
• Lost or damaged crown, bridge, or filling
• Mild toothache or sensitivity
• Food lodged between teeth
• Broken nightguard
• Mild gum bleeding when brushing

While these issues don’t require emergency treatment, seek treatment as soon as possible. Delaying treatment will lead to further damage, causing the need for emergency care and more invasive treatment. You might even lose your tooth.

On the other hand, a dental emergency is any situation that causes severe discomfort or symptoms that disrupt your normal routine. You should call your emergency dentist or visit an emergency dental clinic near you if you experience the following symptoms:

• Severe tooth pain
• Bleeding gums that won’t stop
• Severe gum swelling and pain
• Severe tooth sensitivity
• A loose or knocked-out tooth
• Swollen cheeks or face accompanied by a toothache
• A dental abscess
• Bad breath accompanied by a severe toothache or gum swelling
• Toothache or swelling accompanied by fever and chills
• Painful jaw
• Dental trauma during sports or an accident
• Severe injuries to the mouth’s soft tissue

What to do during dental emergencies

The first step is to call your dentist when you have an emergency. If you don’t have an emergency dentist, you can call or visit the nearest urgent care center. Based on severity, there are several things you can do to manage your symptoms while waiting for professional help.

• Stay calm

Unbearable pain or bleeding can make you extremely worried or anxious. Whatever the case, it’s highly essential that you stay calm. Extreme anxiety and stress during dental emergencies can cause you to make poor decisions or trigger certain body responses that can worsen your symptoms.

• Managing pain or swelling

If you’re in extreme pain, you can take over-the-counter pain medication like ibuprofen to manage the discomfort. Also, use a cold compress on the outer cheek to alleviate pain and swelling. Rinse with warm salty water to manage swelling and infection.

• Managing bleeding

If your tooth is injured and bleeding, you can bite on gauze to encourage blood to control the bleeding. Be sure to avoid spitting, sucking, rinsing, or drinking with a straw, as it can worsen the bleeding.

• Preserve the tooth’s pieces

If the tooth is broken or knocked out, preserve the pieces in a glass of clean water or milk. Take them with you to the dentist. For a knocked-out tooth, the quicker you seek treatment, the better the chances of saving the tooth.

• Flossing

If tooth pain arises when eating, something may have stuck between the teeth. Try removing the piece gently using a string of dental floss.

• Keep your head elevated

When resting, use a soft pillow to keep your head elevated to minimize pain and bleeding.

What not to do

Certain actions can worsen your symptoms during a dental emergency. Be sure to:

• Don’t panic.
• Avoid chewing.
• Don’t smoke or take alcohol.
• Avoid spitting, sucking, or rinsing if you have bleeding.
• Don’t take aspirin.
• Avoid strenuous physical activities.

Schedule an Appointment Today

Do you think you might have a dental emergency? Contact Maple Tree Dental for urgent dental care.