What Are Dental Emergencies and What Is the Best Way to Deal with Them?

Your dentist should be the first person we should be calling if you are dealing with a dental problem. However, what can you do if the problem occurs on a holiday, in the middle of the night, or over the weekend? If you have a dental problem beyond office hours you will in every likelihood need help from an emergency dentist or may even need to visit an emergency room.

You need to understand the difference between a regular dental issue that can wait until daytime and a real emergency that may threaten your health besides tooth loss. Follow the tips mentioned below to understand dental emergencies.

How to Recognize a Dental Emergency?

Approximately 22% of Americans have experienced oral or dental pain during the last six months to show how common dental emergencies can be. However not every dental situation needs emergency dental care. You should be asking yourselves the following questions to determine if you can wait to be seen by your regular dentist or whether you need to make a trip to the ER or emergency dentistry.

• Are you suffering from severe pain and bleeding? These are signs of a dental emergency.
• Have you lost a tooth? Immediate treatment can save the tooth.
• Do you have loose permanent teeth? Adults should not be losing teeth and a loose tooth even without pain could be a serious problem.
• Do you have an infection in your mouth? A serious infection or an abscess in your mouth can be life-threatening and treatment should not be delayed at any cost. You may observe swelling on your gums and your face along with knots and therefore need emergency dental care as soon as possible.
• If you are bleeding from the mouth it is a sign of an emergency.

Generally, a dental problem that needs treatment immediately to stop bleeding, alleviate severe pain or prevent loss of teeth is an emergency. It also applies to severe, life-threatening infections.

If you have any of the symptoms described you could be experiencing a dental emergency. Attempt to call your dentist immediately and give him or her a description of what happened. If your dentist is not available, research for emergency dentistry near you or visit the ER.

What Cannot Be Considered As a Dental Emergency?

If you have a dental problem that can wait for your regular dentist to see you within the next couple of days it cannot be considered as a dental emergency. Many problems appear critical can, in fact, wait for a day or two if you are prepared to take care of yourself.

For example, if you have a chipped tooth that is not causing any pain you do not have to rush to an emergency dentist. However, if the tooth has left sharp fragments in your mouth causing trauma and is painful an emergency visit is suggested.

A regular toothache can also wait for treatment if the pain is not severe and you are displaying no signs of an abscess. Lost fillings or crowns do not need emergency dental care as they can wait for a few days for your regular dentist to see you. If you have lost a filling you can stick a piece of sugar-free gum temporarily into the cavity. A lost crown can similarly be replaced temporarily with over-the-counter dental cement or dental adhesive.

The goal here is not to panic but try to understand what is and what is not a dental emergency. Emergency dental care is always available during the day or the night but understanding what qualifies for a dental emergency will probably save you the stress and expenditure while making it easier for you to manage the problem in your mouth.

How to Prevent Potential Dental Emergencies?

Preventing potential dental emergencies is not difficult if you stay proactive in your oral hygiene and visit your dentist for regular checkups and exams. These visits will help you and your dentist to understand if any problems exist in your mouth because the dentist will be looking for signs of tooth decay, infections, and gum disease. He or she will also check for loose fillings or crowns.

The dentist may create a customized treatment plan to address any problems with your mouth before they can develop into an emergency. You also need to pay attention to what your teeth and body are telling you and keep an eye out for signs that could be indicating an emergency.

A comprehensive treatment plan along with a dental hygiene routine can keep many circumstances at bay but dental emergencies can happen nevertheless. If you are dealing with a dental emergency time is of the essence and reaching an emergency dentistry clinic at the earliest should be your objective.