It’s a mild, fall day, and you have plans to head out to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to catch your Atlanta Falcons do battle on the gridiron. As you make your preparations to leave out early for tailgating, you’re greeted by a sharp pain that radiates throughout one side of your face. It appears that you have a serious toothache that needs attention. Is this considered a dental emergency? If so, what should you do about it? Your emergency dentist in West Cobb weighs in to provide the answers you need.
What is a Dental Emergency?
The first place to start our discussion is by defining what a dental emergency is. Any situation that requires immediate attention to either save a tooth, treat severe pain or stop profusive bleeding, is considered to be a dental emergency.
These situations flare-up when you least expect them to, so it’s important to know how to respond. Thus, you’ll be able to remain cool and exercise the best judgment.
Common Types of Dental Emergencies
Here are some of the more common types of dental emergencies:
- Severe Toothache – A severe toothache is usually a sign of acute bacteria growth and requires the expert care of your dentist to correct. Until you can be treated, you can apply ice to the outside of your jaw and take up to 600 mg of ibuprofen for pain relief.
- Knocked-Out Tooth – A dislodged tooth is an urgent situation that requires more immediate care. Grab the tooth and place it back in its correct position until you can be treated.
- Chipped, Cracked or Broken Restoration – A damaged crown or filling can leave your tooth vulnerable to infection. Until you can be seen by your dentist, you can use a small amount of dental adhesive to reinsert the restoration temporarily.
- Damaged Dentures – Once you discover that your dentures are broken, you should stop wearing them and immediately reach out to your dentist to schedule a visit.
- Object Stuck in Teeth – The severity of the object stuck in your teeth and the laceration that it has caused determines the level of urgency. One thing you can do in the interim is rinse your mouth with a salt-water solution.
- Soft Tissue Laceration – If you’ve received some type of blunt force to the mouth or another type of injury that has led to a severe cut to your soft tissue, then you should reach out to your emergency dentist in Marietta. If the bleeding has continued for more than 10 minutes, then you should immediately head to your local emergency room.