Is It a Dental Emergency: Here’s What You Should Know
One common trait of a dental emergency near you is that you will never see it coming. You might be enjoying a date, running errands, playing your favorite sport, and you find yourself looking for a dental emergency in Bayport.
Dental emergencies need to be treated urgently since every minute that passes means that the situation is becoming more complicated. At times, a situation can be reversed, but the longer you take to seek help from our dentist in 11705, the harder it will be to solve the issue, and the situation can be permanent.
In any case, you will need to know the difference between a non-emergency and a dental emergency in Bayport. Just knowing this difference, you have solved half of the problems.
How Do You Tell That You Are In a Dental Emergency?
In a nutshell, a dental emergency describes a situation where you have an issue with your gums, jaw, tongue, or teeth that is extremely painful and uncomfortable, or even life-threatening. Dental emergencies are prevalent issues that can occur to anyone, even toddlers. They can range from toothaches to locked jaws.
However, you need to know that every uncomfortable issue can be described as a dental emergency. So, the following questions may help shed some light on what a dental emergency can be:
- Do you have loose permanent teeth?
- Is your tooth partially knocked out, or have you lost a tooth?
- Is your tooth broken and is causing you a lot of pain, and is it bleeding?
- Are you in severe and persistent pain?
- Are you bleeding incessantly?
- Do you have tender and swollen gums, feel feverish, have bad breath, and have a salty or metallic taste in your mouth?
When you answer any of the above questions in the affirmative, you need to seek a dental emergency in Bayport. As a general rule of thumb, always know that if you are in a situation that requires immediate treatment to stop bleeding, alleviate pain, save a tooth or treat an infection, you are in a dental emergency.
Examples of Dental Emergencies
As mentioned earlier, dental emergencies will come in all shapes and forms; however, here are some examples that can help you know what dental emergencies look like:
- Knocked-Out Tooth
A knocked-out tooth usually occurs due to trauma. If this happens, you need to take prompt action to increase your chances of saving the tooth. This is one of the time-sensitive dental emergencies since you need to get to our dental office within 30 minutes or less.
If you take more than an hour, it is doubtful that our dentist in 11705 will re-implant it. So, when the tooth is knocked out, pick it by the crown and not the root since you can damage the fibers and decrease the chances of reinserting it. Gently rinse it and keep it moist by placing it in a container with milk. Then rush to our dental practice.
- Abscess
When you have tender and swollen gums with a pus-filled pocket, then you have an abscess. In this case, you need immediate dental care because this is a severe and potentially life-threatening infection.
- Fractured Tooth
A fractured tooth has the potential of being painful since the fracture can reach the tooth root. If it goes to the roots, then there is a chance that you can get an infection if the fracture is not repaired.
Other Potential Emergencies
Some scenarios may also warrant that you seek immediate dental care, especially if the cases are severe:
- Objects stuck in your mouth
- Denture repairs or adjustments
- Orthodontic wires cause injury and discomfort
- Broken, lost, or painful dental restoration
- Multiple dental cavities that are causing toothaches
What Isn’t a Dental Emergency?
If your issue can be solved later, even a day or two later, you are not in a dental emergency. Primarily, a problem may seem severe when you are in the thick of things, only to find that it can be solved at a later date.
Not unless you are in severe discomfort or pain, the following issues are not considered as dental emergencies:
- Losing tooth fillings
- Toothache that isn’t severe and is not persistent
- Orthodontic procedures
In any case, if you are still not sure if you are in a dental emergency, contact us at Bayport Dental Care and our dentist in 11705, who will help you navigate your issue.