While dental emergencies are quite common, they can negatively affect your life. If you’re experiencing a minor dental issue, you don’t need to seek immediate help. However, treating serious dental issues as soon as possible is important.
But how would you know if the dental problem you’re experiencing classifies as an emergency or not?
Fret not! In this article, you’ll learn what qualifies as a dental emergency to help you seek emergency care for your dental issue on time.
What is a Dental Emergency?
A dental emergency includes any injury or trauma to the teeth, gums, jaw, or mouth that causes severe pain or bleeding. Ignoring a dental emergency increases the chances of permanent damage, and you may need bigger, more complex, and more expensive treatments later.
You might need to visit the dentist sooner in case of a dental emergency than you’d in case of a medical emergency. Therefore, you’ll need to contact your dentist for emergency treatment.
5 Common Dental Emergencies
Here are some common dental emergencies:
- Severe Toothache
It’s important to determine the cause of tooth pain to get it treated because toothache is a dental emergency that indicates various dental issues.
Abscess, infection, inflammation on a wisdom tooth, and something getting stuck between teeth are common causes of toothaches. Emergency dental care is necessary for each of these situations. In the meantime, use a cold compress to ease some discomfort.
- Trauma
Trauma can result from accidents, and it’s a dental emergency that often results in tooth loss, dislodged teeth, and severe bleeding.
If you have been in such a situation and got a loose, broken or knocked out tooth, you need to visit your dentist as soon as possible to save the tooth.
- Chipped or Cracked Tooth
Several situations can lead to a chipped or broken tooth, like biting something hard, an accident, or if you grind your teeth in sleep. A visit to an emergency dentist is necessary if you have a tooth that is chipped or cracked. Also, rinse the tooth fragments, keep them in a glass of milk or water, and bring them to the dentist. - Soft-Tissue Injuries
Excessive bleeding can result from injuries to the soft tissues, which include the tongue, cheeks, gums, and lips. You should contact your emergency dentist in case of a soft-tissue injury to get instructions on what to do next.
You may require an emergency dentist or a visit to the emergency room. But before that, wash the soft tissue wounds with warm water and apply pressure to stop bleeding.
- Lost Fillings or Crowns
Losing dental fillings or crowns becomes a dental emergency if you’re experiencing severe pain or inflammation. If bacteria have infected the exposed tooth tissue, your dentist will remove the decay and replace the temporary restoration with a new filling or crown.
Emergency Dentistry In Bendigo, Victoria
In case of a dental emergency, you can visit the Integrated Smiles dental clinic in Bendigo, Victoria, Australia. We offer emergency dentistry services to help you whenever you need them.
Call us if you have any queries or want to find information about the other dental services we offer.
