In this article, we’ll provide some quick suggestions to help you handle a dental emergency. We’ll help you distinguish between some situations requiring immediate dental care versus situations where you can wait for your dentist’s normal office hours. Knowing when you should seek immediate care can save you money as well as protect your oral health. To be safe, your first step should always be calling your dentist to ask for his or her guidance. If it is after business hours or on a weekend, the dentist’s voicemail may have a message on who to contact for emergencies.
A dental emergency is an event where immediate treatment should be sought from a dentist or other qualified medical professional. Examples of dental emergencies include:
NOTE - In a situation where a permanent tooth has been knocked out or part of broken off, save the tooth or chip. It is recommended that a person who had a tooth knocked out see a dentist within 30 minutes of the injury. The lost tooth should be handled by the crown (and not the roots) placed in back in the socket where it was originally, if possible. If this is not possible, place the lost tooth in a container with cow’s milk.
Some dental events are uncomfortable but don’t necessarily require a trip to an emergency room or a call for a 24-hour dental service or emergency dentistry that is open on weekends. For example, it is important to have a lost filling replaced but, if it is not painful and there is not an interference with chewing, a person can contact his or her dentist and schedule a visit during normal office hours. The alternative can be costly.
Another dental event that may not rise to the level of emergency is a lost crown. If a crown comes off the tooth on which it was based, you can schedule a dentist visit during normal hours. If, however, there is significant pain or other damage to the area where the crown was lost, consider emergency care.
Toothaches are annoying but not always an emergency. Assuming the pain is bearable and there is not bleeding, it’s treatment can wait until your dentist is open and available. Over-the-counter pain relief such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen may prove helpful. Once at the dentist, both the pain and the underlying caused can be addressed.
For people wearing braces, a broken bracket or wire is usually not so urgent that it requires immediate care. Dental wax can be used to protect the surrounding soft tissue from irritation or cuts. If this does not work and the mouth is getting cut, seek dental assistance.
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Some dental events are uncomfortable but don’t necessarily require a trip to an emergency room or a call for a 24-hour dental service or emergency dentistry that is open on weekends. For example, it is important to have a lost filling replaced but, if it is not painful and there is not an interference with chewing, a person can contact his or her dentist and schedule a visit during normal office hours. The alternative can be costly.
Another dental event that may not rise to the level of emergency is a lost crown. If a crown comes off the tooth on which it was based, you can schedule a dentist visit during normal hours. If, however, there is significant pain or other damage to the area where the crown was lost, consider emergency care.
Toothaches are annoying but not always an emergency. Assuming the pain is bearable and there is not bleeding, it’s treatment can wait until your dentist is open and available. Over-the-counter pain relief such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen may prove helpful. Once at the dentist, both the pain and the underlying caused can be addressed.
For people wearing braces, a broken bracket or wire is usually not so urgent that it requires immediate care. Dental wax can be used to protect the surrounding soft tissue from irritation or cuts. If this does not work and the mouth is getting cut, seek dental assistance.
If you cannot reach a dentist for assistance and you have critical dental situation, you should consider the use of an Emergency Room. The staff at the Emergency Room normally does not have access to an on-staff dentist but they can assist with pain management and other medical care related to the situation.
In a few cases, an Emergency Room may be a better first step than a dentist visit. For example, if you have an injury and suspect your jaw is broken, the Emergency Room can perform the x-rays and treatment needed.
For many other cases, an Emergency Room may only be able to provide medication to alleviate pain and possibly antibiotics appropriate to the situation, and they will recommend you contact a dentist.
If you have not experienced a dental emergency, you should contact your dentist and document what facilities provide after-hours and weekend dental care for emergencies. Part of this documentation should be their respective phone numbers so they are at the ready if an emergency ever occurs.
NOTE – This article is not meant to be taken as medical or dental advice. Please contact a healthcare professional when such advice is needed.
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