Common Indicators that You Need Emergency Dental Care

Your first encounter with a dental expert should not be about an emergency dental procedure. Unfortunately, it is the case for many patients as they only visit a dentist when they have a dental issue that needs treatment. Most of those patients forgo treatment for typical dental issues until they progress and advance into urgent and severe oral problems. Thankfully, emergency dentistry exists to provide urgent dental care to patients with such dental problems. The key, however, is figuring out whether you are having a dental emergency.

Should you ever be unsure about your dental status, reach out to our emergency dental office, Advanced Dental of Westport CT for a dental exam and urgent dental care.

What Is Emergency Dentistry?

It is a specialty of dentistry that caters only to the urgent and severe dental problems of patients. Emergency dental procedures are performed quickly and urgently to help save patients’ teeth and preserve their oral cavities. The nature of dental issues in emergency dentistry is characterized primarily by urgency. If the dental issue you have is severe and urgent, then do not wait for the weekend before you seek treatment.

What Are the Signs that You Need Emergency Dental Care?

In many cases, dental emergencies develop from typical dental problems that progress and advance when left untreated. It can be hard for you to conclusively determine whether you are facing an oral emergency or whether it is a typical dental issue that can be treated in general dentistry. One way to find out whether your problem is an emergency is to consider indicators like the following:

1. Prolonged bleeding – Bleeding is always an indicator that something is wrong in your body. Given that that mouth has its mechanism of controlling bleeding, you should be alarmed if you notice blood in your mouth for long periods. While it could just be a result of a small open wound, it can be a sign that you need urgent care in an emergency dental office.
2. Significant swelling – Inflammation is expected in any part of your body when there is an injury. However, when evaluating the status of your mouth, notice how severe the swelling is. In many cases, a dental emergency will cause swelling in your mouth as well as other surrounding areas of your face. This may include swollen cheeks, neck, and even throat.
3. Excruciating pain – Pain is relative, based on an individual’s pain threshold. However, any kind of pain that limits you from going about your normal lifestyle requires immediate attention. The type of dental pain you experience may also be different from that of other patients. Some examples of dental pain include toothaches, open wounds, and jaw pain. Also, be sure to notice any pain in other areas of your body that may be linked to your oral cavity. It includes migraine headaches, ear pain, neck, and shoulder pain.
4. Partially dislodged or fully knocked-out tooth – While you may think the chances of this happening are very slim, you would be surprised at often emergency dental treatments involve treating knocked-out teeth. After an impact on your face, you can lose your natural tooth or have it dislodged. Either way, this should send you straight to a dental emergency clinic near you. If the tooth is knocked out, be sure to find it and preserve it well. This will improve your chances of having the tooth restored by your dentist when you seek emergency dental treatment.
5. Lost or damaged oral appliances – Restorative dentistry majors on repairing and restoring teeth using dental devices. In that case, any dental appliance you get from a dentist should remain in your mouth unless otherwise stated. Reach out to an emergency dentist near you for any damage or loss of tooth fillings, braces, and dental crowns.

When to Call Your Dentist

With any dental emergency, do not waste a second before you reach out to a dentist. The dental problem could be severe in the initial moment, but it can also worsen and threaten the health of your entire oral cavity. Reach out to our emergency dentist at Advanced Dental of Westport CT, today, for immediate dental assistance.