Knowing when to seek emergency dental care is an important part of maintaining good oral health. If you’re like most people, you already know that you need to see a dentist as soon as possible if you get a tooth knocked out while playing sports or because of an accident. In the event of sudden tooth loss, you can maximize your chances of saving the tooth if you preserve it properly and see an emergency dentist right away. If this happens to you or someone in your family, quickly place the tooth in milk before leaving for your dentist’s office. Keep in mind that the quicker you can get there, the better the chances of the tooth remaining viable enough to be reattached. Here’s what else you need to know about when you should see an emergency dentist:
See Your Dentist if Tooth Pain Becomes Increasingly Painful
Tooth pain that doesn’t respond to conventional home treatments may be an indication of an infection — and it’s important to stem the infection before it goes systemic and affects other parts of the body. If the pain is accompanied by swelling, that may mean that one or more of your teeth has become abscessed, and this means that you’ve developed a serious infection that won’t go away on its own. If you suspect that you have an abscessed tooth, you should see an emergency dentist as soon as possible.
See Your Dentist if You’ve Experienced Substantial Dental Trauma
Not all dental emergencies involve getting a tooth knocked out or having an abscess or other serious infection. If you’ve experienced dental trauma to the point where one or more of your teeth are significantly loose or you’re in a great deal of pain, you should see an emergency dentist, especially if you have reason to suspect that the root of your tooth has become damaged or separated — you can lose the tooth even if it hasn’t become completely dislodged.
When in doubt about whether to seek emergency care, contact your emergency dentist for advice. Please feel free to reach out to us at your convenience to schedule an appointment or for more information on maintaining the best possible dental health.