Dental Emergencies 101: What You Need to Know About Preparing for These Dental Issues

Dental Emergencies 101: What You Need to Know About Preparing for These Dental Issues

Dec 01, 2020

Dental emergencies have a way of always unfolding when you least expect them to occur. A dental emergency will catch you off-guard most of the time. It is almost impossible to anticipate when you will need to rush to our emergency dentist near you for emergency dental care services.

For instance, you can never predict when a cavity will result in severe infection or a toothache, which will require immediate dental attention to resolve. The truth is you can never forecast any dental emergency; however, this does not mean that you cannot be prepared for one.

Keep in mind that you or your loved one can be affected by a dental issue requiring immediate attention at any time. It is therefore prudent to factor in dental emergency care as part of your dental plan. Doing so will ensure that you and your loved ones are always covered.

How Should You Prepare For a Future Oral Health Emergency?

There are two critical things you need to look into when preparing for a future oral health emergency. These may include:

  • Having the Contact Information to Our Emergency Dentist Near You

A vital part of planning for a future oral health emergency will involve knowing where to go for treatment during such a scenario. This means you need to identify an experienced Plymouth dentist who offers exceptional emergency dental care beforehand.

Your regular Plymouth dentist may not always be available. They may be closed for the day or away on vacation, which may force you to seek an alternative dental practice near you for prompt dental attention. This is why it is essential to have the contact information of an alternative dental practice near you, one that you can rush to for urgent dental assistance if your regular dentist is not available to treat you. Having an alternative emergency dentist will ensure that you know where to go during emergencies. This will help you respond better, faster, and without hesitation.

  • Being Able to Distinguish Between a Non-emergency and an Emergency

Oral health emergencies are time-sensitive. To avoid incurring permanent dental complications such as tooth loss or nerve damage, you need to ensure that you get dental attention promptly.

Apart from knowing where to go for dental assistance, you need to know how to tell apart a dental non-emergency from an emergency.

In a nutshell, any dental issue or condition requiring immediate dental attention or treatment to alleviate the symptoms and prevent any further permanent damages is considered an oral health emergency.

Specific pointers can help you identify whether your dental issue is an emergency or not. Here are some dental issues that require immediate dental attention:

  • Having an avulsed or knocked-out tooth
  • Having a persistent toothache
  • Having a broken crown, fractured, cracked, or chipped tooth that is causing any pain, bleeding, or discomfort. These dental issues leave your tooth exposed to the risk of infection and need immediate dental attention.
  • Having any cuts, tears, or lacerations within or around your oral cavity that are persistently bleeding. These tissue injuries can result in excessive bleeding if not treated promptly.
  • Having any loose or displaced permanent teeth
  • Having an abscessed tooth. An abscess is an infection that occurs when a pus pocket forms at the tip of the root. It is usually indicated by a severe toothache, foul breath, orofacial pain and inflammation, fever, and pimples on the gums. This infection is life-threatening and should be treated promptly before the infection spreads to the surrounding head and neck tissues.
  • Having any facial trauma or injury that results in orofacial pain and inflammation
  • Having any persistent mouth sores that do not clear out within two weeks
  • Having any protrusions, bulges, knots, or painful swellings on your gums

All of these dental issues mentioned above are considered dental emergencies and require you to get emergency dental care as soon as possible. Do not hesitate to contact us at Dental Arts of Plymouth for prompt dental attention if you or a loved one is experiencing any of the above dental issues.

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