What is considered a Dental Emergency?

Dental pain is the worst kind of torment that can make your life a living hell. Be it an aching toothache or bleeding gums, enduring dental pain often comes second to childbirth. 

Due to an unexplained fear of visiting the dentist, many of us are easily convinced to delay the next appointment and take OTCs or home remedies to curb the pain. However, some oral issues require urgent medical attention. Determining which symptoms indicate towards taking an emergency dental service for your toothache is important to downsize chances of making it worse with time.

Symptoms of dental emergency: what to do?

Following are the common symptoms of dental emergencies arising in typically five situations, including immediate action and when to seek emergency dental service at a clinic or ER.

  1. Toothaches that refuse to go away: 

Some toothaches can be alleviated with painkillers. The severe ones that require dental emergency service are persistent and leave you unable to focus on anything else. Toothaches that refuse to go away even after painkillers often have an underlying serious problem that must be checked at once. 

  1. Damaged tooth: 

A damaged tooth can be either a fractured or a broken tooth. In this case, rinse your mouth with warm water more than thrice a day to provide relief to the inflammation. You may also apply a cold compress to treat swelling. With a cracked tooth, you must schedule a visit as soon as possible because a fractured tooth leaves the nerve-endings open to irritants inside the mouth, which can aggravate the pain any time in the future.

  1. Tooth-loss in an accident: 

Knocking out a tooth due to an injury or accident, such as during sports, is not quite a symptom but a direct dental emergency. If you are unable to bear the pain of a knocked-out tooth, you can visit an ER or summon a dentist from Barrie Smile Centre who deals in such dental emergencies. If you’re still in your senses, your immediate action should be to not touch the root but just the crown for inspection. If possible, try to put it back in the socket and use a cold compress to stop bleeding. 

  1. Tooth & Jaw Pain: 

Pain that stems from jaws and up to the teeth can be a sign of tooth abscess. Other symptoms of a tooth abscess include unexplained fever, swelling, and difficulty swallowing. This is another dental emergency as it is an indicator of an underlying infection that has reached the bloodstream. You’ll have to take antibiotics immediately and get a root canal done. 

  1. Bleeding and painful gums: 

Gums may bleed while brushing, but if they produce pain and frequent bleeding, you might be suffering from periodontal disease. This calls for immediate treatment based on the severity. 

  1. Faulty dental prosthetics: 

In case something goes wrong with the devices of a patient with dental prosthetics, it is advised to immediately seek emergency.

Dental problems can exacerbate easily if they are not controlled on time. Dentist from Barrie Smile Centre, an expert in dentistry from checkups to emergencies, ensure you get seamless treatment for your dental pains in a safe and home-like environment.

Leave a Comment