Emergency Dentistry

What is a dental emergency?

Various dental emergencies may arise, such as a sudden and severe toothache, a chipped or cracked tooth due to an accident, loose or damaged dental work, or tooth loss. To know if your situation is an emergency, ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you in severe pain or experiencing severe swelling?
• Do you have a painful toothache that will not subside?
• Do you have a loose or missing tooth?
• Do you have swelling in your cheeks or face combined with a toothache?
• Are you experiencing extreme tooth sensitivity?
• Are you bleeding from the mouth that will not stop?
• Is your jaw injured?

Any dental problem that needs immediate treatment to stop bleeding, alleviate severe pain, or save a tooth is considered an emergency. This consideration also applies to severe infections that can be life-threatening and constitute contacting your dental office.

What is not a dental emergency?

If the problem can be taken care of yourself for a few days without seeing your dentist, it likely isn’t a dental emergency. For example, a cracked or chipped tooth is only an emergency if the fracture is painful or has left you with trauma inside your mouth. If you have lost a filling, you can wait a few days to see your dentist.

How can I get immediate relief from tooth pain?

To get immediate relief from tooth pain, you can try the following steps:

1. Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers: Take ibuprofen or acetaminophen as directed to reduce pain and inflammation.
2. Cold Compress: Apply a cold compress to the outside of your cheek near the painful area to numb the pain and reduce swelling.
3. Saltwater Rinse: Rinse your mouth with warm salt water to clean the area and reduce irritation.
4. Clove Oil: Apply a small amount of clove oil to a cotton ball and place it on the affected tooth for its natural numbing properties.
5. Hydrogen Peroxide Rinse: Dilute hydrogen peroxide with water and rinse your mouth to kill bacteria and alleviate pain.

While these methods can provide temporary relief, it’s important to contact Amazing Smiles as soon as possible for a professional evaluation and appropriate treatment to address the underlying cause of your tooth pain.

Can a dentist pull a infected tooth?

Yes, at Amazing Smiles, our dentists can pull an infected tooth if it is necessary to protect your overall oral health. In cases where the infection is severe and cannot be treated with antibiotics or other procedures like root canal therapy, extraction may be the best option to prevent the infection from spreading. Before proceeding with the extraction, we typically prescribe antibiotics to reduce the infection and swelling, ensuring a safe and effective process. It’s important to follow our dentist’s instructions and complete any prescribed antibiotic course.