30 May 2023
Resource Center
A serious dental emergency can occur at any time and when it happens, it is better to be prepared then to be caught unaware of what to do. Contacting your regular dentist in a timely manner is the most important thing when faced with a emergency dental situation but when the office is closed, there are only a few options available for you.
You must first understand what situations are classified as a dental emergency and then be aware of what to do immediately. Read the most common 7 dental emergency situations below and feel free to schedule an appointment with an emergency dentist near you using Emergency Dental Service.
7 Most Common Dental Emergencies
1. Tooth Injury
Any trauma to a tooth or the entire jaw classifies as a tooth injury. An injury may cause the tooth to be loosened up or even become removed from its normal position. Immediately seek help from your routine local dentist if this happens to you or contact Emergency Dental Service to find a dentist 24 hours a day. Our emergency dentist will treat your tooth injury within 24 hours to restore the tooth or teeth to the normal state of the tooth before the injury. Most dentists will recommend that you don’t try to fix it on your own in order to avoid further damage.
2. Severe Toothache
Toothaches that are unbearable should not be ignored. They usually signal serious problems like infection or decay. Depending on the toothache, rinsing with either cold or warm water can temporarily help. Over the counter painkillers are recommended until you can schedule an appointment with an emergency dentist listed on the Emergency Dental Service website.
3. Knocked-out tooth
If you have a knocked-out tooth due to some trauma or accident, you have little time to waste. The tooth can be re-fixed to its socket but only if it receives emergency care within 2 hours of being knocked out. When faced with this dental emergency, gently rinsing the tooth in saline or salty water to remove any visible debris or blood is the first thing you should do. If you do not have saline available, put the tooth in small container filled with saliva and then schedule an appointment with an emergency dentist.
4. Impaired braces
If a wire in your braces has broken or come loose, it may poke and scrape your gums, cheeks or tongue. This calls for seeking emergency dental services with a dentist near you. As a temporary measure, you can try covering the wire end with a piece of gauze or a small cotton ball. Once you stop the wire from causing any further damage, schedule an emergency appointment as soon as possible.
5. Abscesses
Notice a painful swelling filled with pus on your gum? It could be an abscess, which is an infection that attacks a tooth’s root or the space between the gums and teeth. Leaving the infection untreated can cause it to severely damage surrounding tissue on your teeth and even spread to rest of the body. Get an emergency dental appointment immediately without wasting time.
6. Cracked, Broken or chipped tooth
Small cracks in the tooth can be fixed with filling. More serious cases may require procedures like a tooth extraction or root canal therapy. At any rate, attend to the damaged tooth as soon as possible because it may lead to bacteria penetration into the inner tooth chamber thus causing infection.
7. Lost restorations like crowns or fillings
If your restorations like crowns, bridges, fillings, etc. have fallen out of place, then you’ll need emergency dental services to fix them back to their original state.
Emergency Dental Service is the #1 online resource for connecting patients with dental emergencies directly to dentists in their local area. We have over 30 years of experience helping patients with dental emergencies and understand the frustration of having tooth pain, going to the emergency room or urgent care clinic, only to be referred back to a dentist.
Use Emergency Dental Service to find a dentist near you & speed up the long back and forth process of finding a dental provider & getting you out of pain. Our live operators are ready to help with your dental emergency 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Visit us online or call our 24-hour patient center at: 1-888-350-1340.
