Dental emergencies take many forms. They can be quite scary when they strike because they’re often sudden and come with severe, often unrelenting pain. In the event of a dental emergency, receiving quality promptly can make all the difference.
We’re looking here at some common dental emergencies and the methods emergency dentists use to treat them.
What Is a Dental Emergency?
Not all oral pain and dental discomfort qualify as an emergency. There are, however, several symptoms that suggest an immediate trip to the dentist is in order:
- If tooth pain is sudden, persistent, severe, and unresponsive to at-home remedies like icepacks, saltwater rinses, and over-the-counter pain medication.
- Swelling of the jaw for no apparent reason, which may be a sign of infection that could cause tooth loss or spread to other parts of the body.
- Swelling or bleeding from the gums for no obvious reason, which can also be a sign of infection.
- Loss of a permanent tooth, either due to direct impact or an untreated loose tooth.
Common Treatments for Dental Emergencies
Fortunately, if you’re in the midst of a dental emergency, remaining clear-headed and acting quickly, you increase an emergency dentist’s chances of quickly relieving your pain and restoring your oral health.
- For severe toothaches that are too strong for at-home treatments like icepacks and over-the-counter pain relievers, a trip to the dentist for an emergency filling or root canal.
- In the case of a broken tooth, treatment will depend on severity. Minor cracks often only require dental bonding, while more severe breaks will require a crown or root canal.
- If an adult tooth is knocked out or falls out, immediately picking up the tooth without touching root, gently rinsing it without scrubbing, and placing it either in its vacated socket in the jaw or a container of milk will give your dentist a shot at saving the natural tooth! If this is not possible, a dentist will likely recommend a root canal or a dental crown, depending on severity.
- In the event of an abscessed tooth, emergency treatment often includes antibiotics, pain medication, draining the abscess, or a root canal.
Emergency Dental Care in High Point, NC
If all this has you thinking, “I’d really like to have a top-quality dentist in mind if there’s a dental emergency near me,” dentist Dr. Cassidy Bray and the teams at Deep River Family & Cosmetic Dentistry are here to provide prompt, compassionate, high-quality care in your moment of need.