According to the American Dental Association (ADA), dental emergencies can become life-threatening, but not every dental issue is an emergency.
This guide will help you assess whether your dental problem requires urgent dental care to avoid long-term damage, or if it’s an issue that can wait until regular office hours. Knowing which symptoms are cause for concern can help you know when to see the dentist.
What Is A Dental Emergency?
According to the Cleveland Clinic, a dental emergency is any dental issue that requires urgent dental care, such as:
- Uncontrolled bleeding: Bleeding that isn’t stopped with basic first aid requires immediate medical/dental attention.
- A knocked-out tooth: In this situation, it’s vital to perform knocked-out tooth first aid by picking up the tooth (avoiding touching the root), rinsing it off with running water, and placing the tooth in a cup of cow milk, or under your tongue in pooled saliva. Get to the emergency dentist within an hour for your best chance of successful replantation.
- A dislodged or broken tooth: Teeth that are severely cracked or broken to the point of exposing the nerve require an emergency dentist to avoid infection, and further damage.
- Severe tooth pain: Pain that is persistent, and severe enough to affect daily life, requires seeing an emergency dentist.
- Abscess or infection: According to the Mayo Clinic, a dental abscess is a bacterial infection that causes a pocket of pus to build up in the gums. An absence can cause pain, swelling, fever, and an unpleasant smell in your mouth. If left untreated, the infection can spread to the rest of your body, which can be life-threatening.
- Damaged, broken, or lost dental restoration: If any of these causes severe pain, it’s a dental emergency.
Risks Of Delaying Emergency Dental Treatment
- Permanent damage to your teeth and gums
- A dental infection spreading to other parts of the body
- An increased need for expensive and complex treatments later
Common Non-Emergency Dental Issues
You should always make a dental appointment if you’re experiencing dental discomfort, but not every issue is an emergency. Examples of dental issues that can wait for normal dental appointment hours include:
- Routine dental check-ups and dental cleanings
- An object stuck between two teeth
- Cosmetic concerns (minor chips not causing pain, stains, or gaps in your teeth)
- Mild toothaches without swelling or severe pain (often manageable with home remedies — see below)
- Lost fillings or crowns (exception is if the loss is causing sharp pain or drastic sensitivity)
Try These Temporary Solutions While You’re Waiting For Your Dental Appointment
With any dental issue causing concern and discomfort, it’s important to:
- Avoid hard foods to prevent further damage
- Be gentle when you floss and brush
- Schedule a dental appointment as soon as possible
Dental pain relief: For toothaches and gum pain relief, take an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Try flossing and rinsing your mouth with warm water to see if there’s something lodged between your teeth causing discomfort.
For loose or lost crowns and fillings: A temporary fix for a lost filling or crown is to put the piece of dental equipment back into place using dental cement or denture cream. If it won’t go back in, place sugar-free gum into the hole until you can get to the dentist.
How To Decide: Emergency Or Scheduled Appointment?
Do you actually need an emergency dentist? To decide between urgent vs. non-urgent dental issues, ask yourself these questions:
- Is there excessive bleeding that won’t stop? If bleeding won’t stop, go to the emergency dentist, or emergency room ASAP.
- Is the pain unbearable, constant, or spreading to other areas? This likely indicates a serious issue, so call the emergency dentist.
- Does the issue affect daily functions, like eating, speaking, or sleeping? If yes, call an emergency dentist.
- Is there visible damage to teeth or gums? A mild chip on a tooth or scrape on the gums isn’t a cause for immediate concern. However, a tooth that has fallen out cannot be reimplanted unless you get to the emergency dentist within an hour. A severely cracked tooth can break completely if not cared for in a timely manner.
When it comes to knowing if it’s a dental emergency, it can be helpful to call an emergency dentist for their professional opinion instead of waiting too long. Many dental offices, such as Absolute Dental, offer an emergency hotline, so you can talk with a board-certified dentist to determine if your issue is urgent.
Why Acting Promptly Is Important
Prompt emergency dental care can save you a lot of pain and stress. Plus, emergency dental care benefits can also include:
- Saving your natural teeth
- Preventing complications, such as infections, worsening dental trauma, etc.
- Reducing treatment costs
How To Prevent Future Dental Emergencies
The importance of regular dental visits for preventing dental emergencies cannot be understated. You can prevent future dental emergencies with the following dental health tips:
- Stay vigilant with your oral hygiene maintenance by flossing, brushing twice a day, and receiving regular dental cleanings.
- Save an emergency dentist contact information on your phone in case you are in an unexpected accident.
- Schedule regular dental check-ups to catch problems before they become emergencies.
- Ask your dentist about mouth guards for any risky activities you may be involved in, such as contact sports.
Knowing the difference between dental emergencies and a dental issue that can wait for the next available dental appointment can save you a lot of time, pain, and money. Following professional dental advice is the best way to keep your teeth healthy, strong, and (hopefully) emergency-free.
Sources:
Dental Emergencies. (2022).
Tooth Abscess. (2022).
What Constitutes a Dental Emergency?. (2021).