Dental emergencies can happen to anyone, at anytime. Unfortunately, these are very common and not addressed quickly or fast enough because of lack of a “dental ER” type of facility available. More often than not patients are restricted to access only their local ER for any dental emergency which doesn’t resolve the issues quite properly. That being said, there is a difference between a true emergency resulting in a life-threatening situation, and a dental emergency which can be resolved via medications and seeing your dentist ASAP.
True dental emergencies are –
- Fractured or cracked tooth resulting in pain on biting.
- Cracked fragments of the tooth causing the tongue to be injured.
- Dislodged or broken crowns resulting in pain and discomfort.
- Dislodged or broken fillings causing pain and discomfort.
- Playground injuries
- Pain and bleeding after an extraction
- Pain and swelling after fillings or a root canal treatment
- Notable pus coming out from around a tooth or gums
In each of these situations, your dentists are available on phone to provide advice and reassurance, and call in prescriptions if needed. They are also able to see you either the same day or the next business day to address the concerns.
In case of a true emergency resulting in a life threatening situation such as –
- Swelling of the face extending to the eye
- Swelling of the face causing difficulty in breathing
- Excessive bleeding after an extraction (mouthful and not showing any signs of stopping despite measures such as pressure application and teabags)
- Playground injuries resulting in more extensive injuries to the lip, face, neck, tongue.
- Swallowing of a foreign object causing choking
- Medication related reaction causing hives or respiratory issues
In each of these situations it is extremely critical to just call 911 or rush to the local ER. Your dentists can be updated either on the way or after the patient is stabilized. Dental concerns can always be addressed later on.