Dental Emergencies

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Dealing with dental emergencies

Anyone who has suffered from a dental emergency is familiar with the intense pain and discomfort that often accompanies it.

When you are in that situation yourself, it can be hard to decipher what exactly is an emergency, and what steps you should take.

Unfortunately, just because you are experiencing an immense amount of pain does not mean your dental issue will be treated as an emergency.

It is important to be able to decide what kind of emergency needs treatment now, and what can be numbed with painkillers and put off until the next available appointment.

What is considered a dental ‘emergency?’

Although it is completely dependent on the specifics of the case, some things which can be considered a dental emergency are:

• Bleeding gums that will not stop
• A loose or knocked-out tooth
• Injured jaw
• Painful swelling
• Painful toothache that does not subside
• Swollen cheeks/face in combination with a toothache
• Extreme or unbearable tooth sensitivity

If you are effected by any of the listed symptoms, it may be a good idea to call your dentist and ask for their advice regarding what to do.

This means you can further explain your symptoms and they can get a better understanding of the severity of your case.

There are ways to reduce certain types of pain, e.g. create a solution of hot water and a teaspoon of salt and gargle with this to reduce swelling and irritation.

Additionally, if you loose a tooth put it inside a glass of milk until you can reach your dentist.

These are examples of dental issues that are not considered as emergencies:

• Lost filling, crown, bridge
• Broken/chipped tooth (unless you are experiencing severe pain)
• Broken/ damaged retainer or night guard
• Dull toothache
• Small chip in tooth
• Mild tooth sensitivity

Can you go to the hospital for a dental emergency?

Although a dental issue can often feel like an emergency, most emergency rooms are overpopulated and understaffed, so there will likely be a lot more severe cases that need treated before you.

Additionally, doctors do not have the experience of treating dental emergencies and can do little more than provide antibiotics and painkillers.

If you do decide to go to the hospital, you will eventually need to meet with a dentist to treat your problem eventually.

There are, however, emergency dentists allocated to treating urgent dental care.

Although you should be cautious when to use the hospital – sometimes in highly severe cases the hospital will be the best option.

If you experience any of the following then you should go straight to your local A&E and request to see an NHS dentist:

• Intense bleeding that will not stop
• Pain that isn’t reduced by painkillers
• Trauma to your face, mouth or teeth as result of an accident
• If you have lost a tooth through accident or it has been knocked out, it’s important to get to a 24-hour emergency dentist ASAP. The longer you leave it the less likely it is that your tooth will be saved.

Avoiding dental emergencies?

As we all know, accidents happen and it is impossible to fully avoid the occurrence of a dental emergency.

However, if you follow strict hygiene and cleaning regimes, wear mouth guards when playing sports, and make sure to have regular check-ups with your dentist, you can greatly reduce the likelihood of severe damage occurring to your teeth.

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