What is Considered a Dental Emergency?

Identifying a Dental Emergency

Understanding what constitutes a dental emergency is crucial for maintaining your oral health and ensuring timely treatment when the unexpected occurs. Dental emergencies can range from severe pain to serious health risks. Here’s what you should know about dental emergencies, what actions you should take in different scenarios, and why you should trust an emergency dentist for treatment.

Recognizing the signs of a dental emergency is the first step in getting the proper care. A dental emergency involves issues that require immediate attention. Key indicators include:

• Severe pain
• Lost tooth
• Loose permanent tooth
• Bleeding from the mouth
• Signs of infection, such as swelling, redness, or difficulty opening your mouth

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, it’s important to seek urgent dental care without delay.

5 Common Dental Emergencies

Here are five specific scenarios that warrant an emergency trip to the dentist.

1. Lingering Toothache

A toothache is a clear sign of a problem in your mouth. It could stem from a cavity, infection, or injury to the tooth. Managing a toothache at home involves applying a cold compress to the affected area, rinsing your mouth with salt water, and taking over-the-counter pain relievers. If the problem lingers after a few days despite these measures, seek professional dental help, as there could be a serious underlying problem.

2. Knocked-Out Tooth

If you take a football to the mouth, you could end up with a knocked-out tooth. Whether it’s a baby tooth or a permanent tooth doesn’t matter—you should act quickly to save it.

First, handle the tooth with care. Only touch the crown to avoid contaminating the root. Gently rinse it without scrubbing and try to reinsert it into the socket. If that’s not possible, preserve the tooth in milk. This helps to maintain the correct fluid balance in the root, increasing the chances of successful reimplantation. If milk is not available, placing the tooth in a container of water is acceptable, though not as ideal as milk. Then, head to the dentist as quickly as possible to see about reimplanting the tooth.

3. Abscessed Tooth

An abscess is a cavity caused by tissue destruction, usually because of a serious infection, filled with pus and surrounded by inflamed tissue. Symptoms include fever, sensitivity to temperature, persistent toothache, tender lymph nodes, facial swelling, and a pimple-like bump on your gums.

Because the infection can spread to other parts of the body, immediate dental attention is needed. Treatments may include draining the abscess, taking antibiotics, and performing restorative dental work, depending on the severity of the infection.

4. Swollen Jaw

A swollen jaw may be a sign of infection, trauma, or issues with your lymph nodes. Seek immediate dental care to determine the cause and appropriate treatment. Delaying care may lead to more severe complications.

5. Broken Front Tooth

A broken tooth, whether caused by an accident, decay, or biting something wrong, can be quite distressing. If the break is severe and accompanied by pain or bleeding, emergency dentistry is needed.

When faced with a broken tooth, rinse your mouth, apply pressure to stop the bleeding, and use a cold compress to reduce swelling. Treatment for a broken tooth may include a dental filling, root canal treatment, or even tooth extraction in severe cases.

Why Visit an Emergency Dentist Instead of the ER?

Choosing the right place for emergency dental care is crucial. While emergency rooms are equipped to treat general health emergencies, they often lack the specialized equipment and expertise required for dental care.

That’s why you should call an emergency dentist, a medical professional with the specific training, experience, and equipment to handle dental emergencies effectively. Emergency dentists can provide a range of solutions, from simple fillings to complex root canals or extractions. They can also offer follow-up care and preventative advice, which is beyond the scope of most ERs. Plus, seeing an emergency dentist is often more cost-effective than visiting the ER, especially if it’s covered by dental insurance.

Contact Our Emergency Dentist in Parker, CO

In the face of a dental emergency, Twin Aspen Dental Center is the best choice for urgent dental care. We are available 24/7 by phone and accommodate same-day emergency appointments. Our practice is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and comfort amenities to ensure a smooth and pleasant experience.

Whether you require treatment for a persistent toothache, reimplantation of a knocked-out tooth, or an emergency root canal, our dedicated team can provide the superior care you deserve. So, the next time you have a dental emergency, call us at 303-841-7466 for prompt, professional assistance at our Parker, CO office.