What To Do When Faced With A Dental Emergency?

What To Do When Faced With Dental Emergency

A dental emergency is a serious health issue. In many cases, the pain is unbearable and difficult to withstand. However, even if you’re not in severe pain, you should seek dental treatment or at the very least contact a dentist to know what to do.

Types Of Dental Emergencies

  • Gum Or Facial Swelling 

Facial and gum swelling can be an indicator of an underlying oral issue. To determine the underlying issue, you need to seek immediate oral medical attention to determine the dental problem causing the swelling.

Importantly, emergency oral care will help correct the underlying issue before it worsens. 

  • Knocked-Out Teeth 

A knocked-out tooth is an emergency that should necessitate an emergency visit to your dentist. When you suffer from a knocked-out tooth, you need to make concerted efforts to preserve your tooth/teeth. Keep in mind that your tooth can die in just one hour. Find the tooth and takes steps to preserve it ASAP.

Additionally, you should be wary of your socket and soft tissue getting infected. That’s why it’s critical to visit your dentist immediately.

  • Partially Extruded Or Dislodged Tooth 

If you’re suffering from a dislodged or extruded tooth, you should seek immediate dental treatment. This occurs when an external force or trauma partially dislocates a tooth from its socket. 

You should seek immediate dental treatment to help prevent infection and to have the tooth reinserted into its socket. The emergency treatment will also help reinforce the tooth structure, thereby ensuring it does not suffer from any further damage.

  • Sensitivity Or Pain 

Severe and sustained pain or dentin hypersensitivity is a sign of an emergency. Hypersensitivity and severe pain is typically a response to certain stimuli. It may cause neck and head pain as well. Additionally, it can affect single or multiple teeth. 

If you’re experiencing hypersensitivity and/or pain, you should seek immediate oral health care to locate the issue and stop it. 

What To Do When Faced With  Dental Emergency
  • Broken Tooth, Cracked Tooth, Or Chipped Tooth 

Whether you’re suffering from a cracked tooth or broken tooth, you should seek emergency treatment, especially when experiencing some dental pain. Chipping, cracking, and breaking of teeth accompany fracture, which might extend to the root of the teeth.

When the tooth fracture extends to the root, it might affect the stability of the tooth, which will affect blood vessels and nerves. Seeking emergency medical attention will help determine the extent of the problem and the best corrective course of action to take.

  • Tooth Abscess 

An abscess is a pimple-looking bump on your gum. If this sounds like you, you’re most likely suffering from a tooth abscess. An abscess can affect your teeth, gums, and surrounding soft tissue. 

It’s essential to note that when pus in the abscess spreads into the blood vessels in the teeth’s pulp, the infection can spread to the other parts of the body. You need emergency treatment to avoid other organs in your body getting infected.

  • Oral Disease

Oral infections can constitute an emergency. If you notice tender and/or bleeding gums, it might be a subtle sign that you’re suffering from an oral disease such as gingivitis or gum disease. You should seek treatment before it becomes chronic.

Keep in mind that there is a link between chronic oral disease with other health concerns such as diabetes, stroke, heart disease, respiratory illness (especially among the elderly), low birth weight in babies, and preterm birth in babies.

Dental Emergency Tips

Rinse Your Mouth – When you suffer from a dental injury whereby your tooth is cracked, dislodged, or partially extruded, you should rinse your mouth to prevent any debris from getting lodged in the sockets.

Preserve Knocked Out Teeth Salty Water – When a tooth is knocked out, find it and preserve it in salt water, and head to an emergency dentist immediately.

Apply Cold Compress When Suffering From Facial Or Gum Swelling – Apply ice on the side of the cheeks where your gums are swollen.

Abscess First Aid – As soon as you notice an abscess, rinse your mouth with warm salt water and then seek emergency dental care.

How To Prevent Tooth Injury

There are many things you can do to prevent a dental emergency. For instance, following oral hygiene practices will keep your oral health in good shape and negate the risk of suffering oral ailments that might cause an emergency. Other things you can do include:

  • Wearing a mouth guard when playing sports 
  • Avoiding using your teeth to open or cut things 
  • Avoiding chewing hard candy, ice, peanuts and other hard food items 

Final Thoughts

A dental emergency is a serious health issue, and you should not ignore it hoping that it will resolve itself. When faced with an emergency, seeking treatment will help prevent a bad situation from becoming worse. The emergency treatment might help save your teeth.

Call Barossa Valley Dental for Dental Emergencies!

At Barossa Valley Dental, we provide dental services at short notice. Whatever your dental emergency is, you can trust us to treat you and set you on the road to full recovery.

When faced with an emergency, do not panic. We’re here to treat you.

If you are looking for a trustworthy and reliable dentist in the Barossa Valley region, then please contact us at Barossa Valley Dental on 08 8565 7906 to make an appointment or leave an enquiry.

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