What To Do In A Dental Emergency

Dec 21st, 2016
Easton Dentists Mar 1st, 2017

What To Do In A Dental Emergency: Trauma

Teeth are typically strong, but trauma to the mouth can cause a tooth to chip, break, or be removed entirely. Should something like this happen, you need to know what to do. In many cases, it may be a dental emergency and a visit to your dentist is a necessity.

Here is what you should do in an event of a dental emergency:

Assess the Damage

If a tooth is broken or chipped due to trauma, the gums may bleed, so rinse the area with warm water to help stop the bleeding. If it continues to bleed, biting down on gauze will help with clotting. Once the bleeding is under control, assess the damage if possible. If the tooth has a small chip with little pain, you may not need an emergency dentist. However, if there is significant damage, this may be a dental emergency, and emergency treatment would be necessary because waiting will result in excessive swelling and pain.

The Pain Level

Another aspect to keep in mind if you have damaged a tooth is the pain level. Sometimes when trauma is involved, it is difficult to see the actual damage with your own eyes. If you experience a lot of pain, the damage could be to the roots or the tooth cracked under the gums. If you’re in a great deal of pain, it’s important to call a dentist that offers emergency care. If the trauma occurs outside of normal business hours, odds are you will likely need to call for after hours dental emergencies or go to the emergency room.

What to Expect at the Dentist

If you need to call for an emergency dental visit, the first question your dentist will ask is what happened. This is important because it helps to visualize the damage that may have happened to your tooth that cannot be seen visually.

Your dentist will visually inspect your tooth. In almost all cases where trauma has resulted in teeth damage, an x-ray will be performed to see if there is damage to the roots or if the tooth split vertically.

After your x-rays are examined, your dentist will go over what happened and what needs to be done in order to fix or replace the broken tooth. You may be given an antibiotic along with pain medication before and after the procedure.

 

Any dental emergency such as an injury to the teeth or gums or extreme discomfort can be potentially serious and should not be ignored. Ignoring a dental problem may greatly increase the risk of permanent damage as well as the need for more extensive and expensive dental procedures in the future.

When emergency issues arise, it is important to have an emergency dentist who accommodates your needs.  At The Dental Center at Easton Town Center, Dr. Gilmer and our experienced staff understand accidents and dental emergencies happen. The Dental Center provides a convenient location in Columbus, Ohio for your emergency dentistry needs. By offering extended business hours and a location central to the Columbus, Ohio area, the Dental Center is the premier choice for emergency dental services.