What to Do in a Dental Emergency

If you are having a dental emergency, you may not know what to do. Emergency medical facilities do not treat most dental emergencies. However, dental emergencies can cause more pain than most other injuries. They can also lead to serious or severe consequences, including infection, blood loss, or other ongoing injury. So, you want to get immediate medical attention from a qualified medical professional.

The first thing you need to do is figure out whether it is a dental emergency. Your dentist should have a number you can call for dental emergencies. The dispatcher at that number should be able to help you decide whether you are having an emergency. Some examples of dental emergencies include uncontrolled bleeding in the mouth; swelling in the gums, neck, or face; severe toothaches; abscesses; infections accompanied by high fevers; and injuries such as broken or lost teeth. If your injury or condition is life-threatening, it is an emergency. It is urgent if the condition is not life-threatening, but you need immediate care to alleviate severe pain. Other conditions may be serious, but not urgent or emergent.

Many people put off getting emergency dental care. That is a bad idea. First, getting emergency care can help you save your teeth. More importantly, people can die from dental infections. Think about how close your teeth are to your brain. If you have an infection in your mouth, it can easily spread to other body parts. So, get emergency treatment when you need it.

At Comprehensive Dentistry, we are happy to provide emergency dental care for our patients. If you are experiencing a dental emergency during office hours, contact us so that we can get you in for treatment. Outside of office hours, you can contact our office. We will have an on-call dentist, who may be affiliated with our office or a dental provider partner, who is available for emergency calls.

What happens if you cannot get a hold of a dentist? While we strive to provide 24/7 access to dentists for emergencies, it is always possible that our on-call dentist may be treating another emergency. In those instances, you may want to seek treatment at the ER. Contact our dispatcher and they can advise you about whether you should seek treatment in the ER or at an Urgent Care facility until the dentist is available. They may suggest that if you need someone to stop uncontrolled bleeding, administer IV antibiotics, or provide emergency pain relief.