What Are Dental Emergencies And How To Handle them?

Dental emergencies happen when you least expect it. You may have gone out for lunch or to run errands only to find yourself in the middle of an emergency. Your dental hygiene may be on point, but more often than not, dental emergencies, just like medical emergencies, will catch you off-guard.

Since you know that dental emergencies may sneak up on you, the wise thing to do is try as much as possible to be prepared for the emergency. Having a plan in place will allow you to remain calm when an emergency arises.

Before you do anything else, you need to know where you can get emergency dentistry in Wellesley, MA.

Do You Know an Emergency Dentist?

Most people do not have the contact information of an emergency dentist since dental emergencies do not frequently happen. Unfortunately, if the need arises and you need urgent dental care, you might be in too much pain to even look for a dentist in Wellesley, MA.

It is recommended that you have the contact information of a general dentist near you. Also, you need to bear in mind that dental emergencies are typically time-sensitive circumstances, so you might not have the time to start looking for a dentist.

How Do You Know If Your Dental Issue Is an Emergency?

We know that many patients have difficulty differentiating between what qualifies as an emergency and what does not. This is a challenge because most scenarios might seem like an emergency when you are in some pain or discomfort.

However, any dental issue that needs urgent dental care and cannot wait for a day or two to be resolved is classified as a dental emergency. Here are some questions that can help you decipher if you are in an emergency or not:

• Is there excessive bleeding?
• Are you in severe and persistent pain?
• Are you exhibiting signs of infection like swelling around the gum, fever, and bad breath?
• Is your tooth knocked out, and can be saved with immediate treatment?

If your answer is yes, then you could be facing a dental emergency. You need to get checked out immediately to avoid further permanent damage, which may require more invasive dental procedures to fix.

Issues That Are Resolved by Our Dentist

Our dentist can resolve any of the following dental issues:

• Persistent and severe toothache
• A knocked-out tooth
• Traumatic injury to your teeth
• Persistent bleeding in the mouth
• Swelling on your gums
• Broken or fractured teeth
• Mouth ulcers that have not cleared for over two weeks

Tips for Handling Common Dental Emergencies

You can apply these quick tips if you experience the following dental emergencies:

• Abscessed Tooth

An abscess (a pus-filled pocket) can sneak up on you. This is an infection that forms within the root region of the infected tooth. Even though it creeps up on you, the infection needs immediate medical attention.

Some of the signs that you should look out for may include swollen gums, unbearable toothache, fever, bad breath, and tooth sensitivity. Some patients have exhibited other symptoms, such as difficulties swallowing and breathing.

If you experience any of these symptoms, call us immediately.

• Knocked-out Tooth

When baby teeth are knocked out, you do not need to re-insert them. However, adults have to make their way to our office if they want to save their knocked-out teeth. The longer the tooth is not in the socket, the lower the chances that it can be saved.

When your tooth falls out, pick it by the crown, never by the root. Avoid touching the root, since they have cells that are necessary for re-insertion in the socket. Then rinse it with milk if the tooth is dirty. If you do not have milk, you can use water.

Place the tooth in milk as you are making your way to our office. Milk keeps the tooth moist. You can also try holding it between the cheeks and the molars.

• Tissue Injuries

You can experience bleeding if you have lacerations on the cheeks, tongue, gums, or lips. At times, these injuries may result in excessive bleeding if they are not handled quickly.

Always remember that dental emergencies are time-sensitive issues. You can contact us at Wellesley Dental Arts if you need emergency dentistry in Wellesley, MA.