You probably already know that emergencies don’t occur at convenient times – but handling a dental emergency in the moment can certainly be stressful. Whether it’s an injury, dislodged tooth, or a severe infection – your teeth are an incredibly important part of your body and should be treated as such. That’s why Dr. Hofkes is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – to help you with any dental emergency you may have. But, what constitutes a dental emergency? How do you know how to handle an emergency situation like this? Don’t worry – you’ve come to the right place!
Dislodged Tooth
Whether your tooth is partially dislodged or completely knocked out, you’re dealing with a dental emergency. Unfortunately, when you lose a tooth (whether it’s to a facial injury or a severe infection) it can be difficult to find, keep, and maintain the tooth before you see your dentist. This is why we have emergency dentists! If you can, find the tooth and rinse it off with water. In this case, you’ll want to see your dentist as soon as possible because dislodged teeth can be saved! The earlier you see your dentist, the better chance you have at keeping your natural tooth.
Cracks, Chips, or Breaks
With any damage to your tooth (chips, cracks, or a break) that doesn’t completely knock the tooth out, it’s often considered a dental emergency (but of course, this depends on the individual situation). If you can retrieve the pieces of your tooth that were lost, that’s best – but not completely necessary to save your tooth.
Tooth Pain
Experiencing toothaches and pain is definitely uncomfortable, sometimes unbearable. If this is the case, you could be suffering from a severe dental infection. The best thing you can do in this situation is to call your emergency dentist – if they suspect it could be an infection, they’ll want to see you. There isn’t much you can do for an abscessed tooth at home, but your dentist will certainly be able to help you.
