When you have a dental emergency, it can put your oral health and even your overall health at risk. You may experience severe symptoms, such as discomfort and bleeding or suffer significant cosmetic damage to your teeth. Acting quickly to address dental emergencies is essential to positive outcomes. Our office’s schedule is arranged to accommodate emergency appointments, so if you’re experiencing a dental emergency call our office as soon as possible for further guidance and direction.
Types Of Dental Emergencies
Patients may experience a variety of different dental emergencies. These can include severe toothaches, which can indicate the presence of an abscess or another infection. You may also notice accompanying symptoms like persistent bad breath or products of infection, such as pus.
Pain at the rear of your jaw may suggest a problem with impacted wisdom teeth if you’ve never had those teeth extracted. This can also become an emergency situation.
Facial trauma is another common cause of dental emergencies. Broken or dislodged teeth, as well as fractured bones, should be addressed as quickly as possible for optimal outcomes.
Any of the above situations warrants a consultation with your dentist as soon as possible.
Why Having A “Dental Home” Is Beneficial In Emergency Situations
Although our office is able to see new patients in emergency situations, it’s highly beneficial to the patient to already be established with a dentist in cases of emergency dental care. A dentist who is already familiar with your baseline will be able to more accurately assess the emergency situation and plan for the treatment that will best meet your needs.
Additionally, if you have a dental home and receive routine care on a regular basis, you’ll actually reduce your risk of experiencing some types of dental emergencies, such as abscesses. Semi-annual exams give your dentist an opportunity to diagnose and treat oral diseases well before they cause urgent symptoms and present as a crisis situation.
How To Obtain Emergency Dental Care
If you experience any of the symptoms described above, call our office immediately for further direction. We have a 24-hour answering service, and a member of our team will get back to you if you call after standard business hours. We’ll discuss the problem with you and schedule the next available appointment for you. In some cases, we may direct you to seek care at your local emergency room.
There is a notable exception to this process. If you feel that your symptoms are so severe that you need to go to your local emergency room for care, please do so. This may be necessary particularly in cases of facial trauma or injuries causing persistent bleeding. The team that stabilizes you in the ER will likely direct you to follow up with your dentist, and at that point you can call us to schedule any additional appointments that are recommended.
