No one ever wants to be in an emergency dental situation, but sometimes it happens to the best of us. They are stressful, scary, and often times painful. This is especially the case if you don’t know exactly what will happen when you get to the dental office. Fortunately, your dentist is here to help you better understand what you can expect when you get to the practice. Continue reading to learn about some of the most common dental emergencies and treatments.
What Counts as a Dental Emergency?
Even though it may be more tempting to head to the emergency room with a dental emergency, the truth is that dentists are usually more equipped to handle these issues. Here’s what counts as a dental emergency:
- Pain: If you have a toothache or another type of persistent pain in the mouth, this justifies a visit to the emergency dentist.
- Mouth Injury: If you have an impact of laceration to the mouth, it should be looked at by a dentist right away.
- Bleeding: If bleeding in the mouth isn’t stopping on its own, this is a dental emergency.
- Knocked-Out or Loose Tooth: Is you have experienced an injury that has resulted in a dislodged tooth, you should see a dentist within an hour!
Common Emergency Dental Care Procedures
- Root Canal Therapy: If you have a toothache, your dentist may treat it with a root canal. This involves removing the decayed part of the tooth along with the nerves and blood supply found in the inner chamber of the tooth.
- Extraction: If your tooth is severely decayed or damaged, your dentist may have no choice but to extract it. This is a common emergency procedure, but if you are able, you should strongly consider a root canal instead.
- Filling: If you have lost a filling, your dentist will likely replace it. This is also used to treat cavities.
- Tooth Reattachment: If you have had your tooth knocked out as a result of an injury or accident, your dentist will attempt to reattach it by placing it back into the socket. Ideally, you should rinse off your knocked-out tooth and attempt to place it into the socket yourself before you arrive to the dental office. This increases your dentist’s probability of saving your tooth.
If you find yourself in the midst of a dental emergency, contact your emergency dentist as soon as possible. By getting to the office quickly, you will be able to get back to your busy schedule in no time!
About the Author
Dr. Joseph Salvaggio is an experienced dentist who has been practicing dentistry for more than two decades. He earned his DDS from the University of Toronto Faculty of Dentistry and is committed to continuing education. His practice is able to handle any emergency in-house and can schedule same-day appointments for serious cases so that patients can get the urgent care they need without having to wait. For more information on dental emergencies or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Salvaggio at his office in Brampton, ON, visit his website or call 289-569-0721.