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When Should You Consult a Dental Emergency?

When Should You Consult a Dental Emergency?

Mar 01, 2022

We can all agree that you can never fully prepare for a dental emergency. They always have a knack for showing up at the most inconvenient times, like at a picnic, work, or even when running errands. The next thing you know, you need an emergency dentist in Frisco, TX.

Dental emergencies are similar to other medical emergencies because they are time-sensitive. The longer you wait to get treatment from our dentist near you, the more the issue escalates.

On most occasions, patients might have a challenge differentiating between a dental emergency and what it is not. But this confusion is understandable since anyone might go frantic after losing a tooth or when your mouth is bleeding.

Knowing what instances are termed dental emergencies and how to handle them while you are rushing to see our dentist in Frisco, TX, can make a big difference.

What Dental Emergencies Aren’t?

There’s a general rule of thumb that will help you decipher whether you are facing a dental emergency or not. If the dental problem can wait for a day or two before you receive treatment, then it most likely is not a dental emergency. Some situations may seem more frightening at first and tend to be less severe than they appear.

You cannot also term a toothache a dental emergency when the pain is not excruciating, and there is no infection (abscess).

Some of the dental issues that might not be termed as dental emergencies might include:

  • A loose crown
  • Minor toothaches or pain that isn’t persistent
  • Discomfort from veneers
  • Pain in your wisdom teeth without a swelling

Dental Emergencies 101

On the flip side, if you face a dental issue that needs immediate dental care, then you can classify the scenario as a dental emergency. In other words, your issue cannot wait for more than 24 hours before it is resolved.

But if you are faced with a scenario, you can ask yourself the following set of questions to help you decipher whether you are facing a dental emergency:

  • Are you in excruciating pain?
  • Are you showing signs of a dental infection such as a fever, gums filled with pus, foul breath, and a bad taste in your mouth?
  • Is your tooth knocked out, and there is an opportunity of reattaching it?
  • Do you have loose adult teeth?
  • Is there excessive bleeding?

If you answer any of the above questions in the affirmative, it is safe to say that you are facing a dental emergency.

What Are Some Dental Emergency Symptoms and Quick Treatments?

Fractured or Cracked Tooth

In case you bite down on something hard, your tooth might crack or break. Your tooth can also crack because of direct trauma or teeth grinding that exerts much pressure on the teeth. Cracks or fractures may suggest that the damage has reached inside the tooth.

You can follow these steps while making your way to visit our dentist:

  • Clean your mouth by using warm water
  • If the fracture is due to trauma, use a cold compress to ease the swelling
  • If there are broken pieces, pick them up and show them to our dentist

Knocked-Out Tooth

This is among the most time-sensitive dental emergencies. This is because if you can get to see our emergency dentist in Frisco, TX, within 30 minutes, the chances are that your tooth can be reinserted.

So, when you find yourself in such an emergency, you can do the following:

  • Pick the tooth by the crown, avoid touching the roots
  • Rinse the tooth carefully and gently to remove dirt, but don’t scrub or remove any tissue that might still be attached to the roots
  • If possible, try and reinsert the tooth in the socket and gently bite it down
  • If you find reinserting the tooth a bit too challenging, placing the tooth in a cup of milk or placing it between your cheek and teeth

Soft Tissue Injury and Facial Pain

If you have puncture wounds or lacerations on the lips, gums, or tongue, then this is considered a dental emergency, especially if there is excessive bleeding. Try the following:

  • Clean the injured site
  • If your tongue is hurt, you can pull it forward and then add pressure on the cut using gauze
  • If your face, lips, or cheeks is swollen, you can use an icepack to reduce the swelling

Bleeding and Aching Gums

Tooth and gum aches can be unbearable. If your gums are swollen and are bleeding easily, it means that you have gum disease. If this is the case, you might need gum disease treatment, which includes planing and scaling.

Contact us at Millennium Smiles if you are in a dental emergency.

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