Dental emergency Explained
A Dental emergency is defined as any acute oral condition that requires immediate dental care.
How do you know if you need a dental emergency?
To answer this question, you need to detect your symptoms first:
- Are you in severe pain?
- Are you bleeding from your mouth?
- Do you have swelling and pain?
- Did you have a mouth injury that leads to a tooth/teeth cracking, broken, or even knocked out teeth?
All these symptoms generally require dental care, but some of them are really urgent dental emergencies and require immediate attention. The best way is to handle these symptoms is to look for an emergency dentist nearby. Contact us if you are experiencing the above symptoms.
Conditions of high priority that require dental emergency:
- Injury or trauma that leads to tooth/teeth loosening.
- Injury or trauma that leads to tooth/teeth loss or knocked out.
- Injury or trauma that leads to unstoppable bleeding from the mouth and tears to lips and/or oral tissues.
- Severe dental abscess or swelling that reaches the eye or affects breathing and/or swallowing. It is a life-threatening condition.
- Severe toothache that cannot be helped by pain medicine.
Conditions of medium priority that are not dental emergencies but require urgent treatment within 24 hours:
- Cracked or fractured tooth/teeth.
- Dental abscess or swelling that does not extend to eyes or affects breathing or swallowing.
- Swelling or a toothache after recent dental treatment such as a tooth filling, root canal filling, tooth extraction or dental implant.
Conditions of low priority that require routine dental treatment within 3 days:
- Detached orthodontic wire or brackets.
- Lost dental filling that did not lead to severe pain.
- Detached crowns or bridges.
- Chipped tooth where a small tooth fragment is broken.
How to handle a dental emergency until going to an emergency dentist nearby?
First of all, don’t panic and call or contact us!
- In case of accidents, check if there are any fractures in the face and the whole body. Jaw fracture or dislocation requires a hospital visit, not a dental clinic.
- Call your Braselton, Oakwook, Flowery Branch, Dacula, Winder, or Gaineville dentist’s office as fast as possible and explain your condition to the dentist so that they can tell you some instructions and get ready for your emergency dentist visit.
- If your emergency happens outside of regular business hours, check the Braselton smile studio website to get the emergency number.
- If your emergency happens outside of your city, call your dentist so that he can refer you to any of his fellow dentists in your current area. We in Braselton smile studio serve Braselton, Oaks, Gainesville, Buford, Winder, and their surrounding areas
How to handle bleeding from the mouth?
First, you should rinse well to clean your wound, then bite on a clean gauze, cotton or even handkerchief. This will absorb bleeding and encourage the formation of blood clots as well.
How to handle severe toothache and swelling?
- Rinse well with warm salty water and put a cold pack on outside of your face, this will help to decrease swelling and pain.
- Use a strong anti-inflammatory painkiller such as ibuprofen, it will definitely help a lot.
- Try to keep yourself in an upright position as much as you can to drain the swelling from your face.
How to handle a knocked-out tooth?
Don’t panic!
Pick up the tooth from its crown and make sure you don’t touch the root. Rinse it under running water without any scrubbing and then try to reinsert it back in its socket. If you can’t, put it in a cup containing milk or your own saliva and try to go to your dentist within four hours to increase the chance of saving your tooth.
How to avoid dental emergencies?
- Use mouth guard during playing sports especially the rough ones.
- Don’t ignore your teeth pain or sensitivity.
- Don’t bite on hard food or objects.
- Maintain good oral hygiene and don’t ignore your regular dental checkups.
For more information visit us at our office or call Braselton Smile Studio today!
Author
Dr. Oluyemi Workman
Dr. Oluyemi Workman is the owner and founder of Braselton Smile Studio in Braselton Georgia. Her mission for Braselton Smile Studio is simple - treat her patients like family and provide a wonderful dental experience for her patients.
