With the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life, it can be hard to know whether something is an emergency or not. With healthcare generally, especially dentistry, what one person considers an emergency may not constitute what another person defines as an emergency.
For example, if on a warm day, you are eating an ice lolly and you get a sharp pain shooting through a tooth, this indicates sensitivity, which does warrant a trip to your local dental surgery for exploring the cause but is not considered an emergency.
It is important to know what may signify an emergency trip to the dentist, as emergency dentistry is not an option at all surgeries, and you don’t want to waste your time with non-emergency issues.
Which issues do warrant an emergency dentist visit?
Excessive pain
Are you experiencing a sudden relentless pain in your mouth? Do you have a pulsating throbbing under a tooth that even the strongest over-the-counter painkillers won’t get rid of? Is the pain keeping you awake? Better book that emergency dental appointment!
While unyielding pain is symptomatic of so many issues, it can indicate a serious issue like a dental abscess. These can be caused by infected pulp and can be unbelievably painful. You need to get to a dentist to have the cause of the pain identified and may even need a course of antibiotics.
Chipped tooth
Common amongst athletic individuals, a chipped tooth is one of the most frequent dental injuries seen by dentists.
If you have a chipped tooth, it is important to have it seen to as soon as possible to prevent any infection and to stop it spreading or causing further damage to the remainder of the tooth.
Uncontrollable bleeding
If you have a constant flow of blood coming from your mouth following an impact or injury, you need to see a dentist to determine the cause and to seal the wound.
If you have recently had a tooth extracted or have undergone another procedure, such as a dental implant and you are now feeling light headed and are bleeding, it is worth calling an emergency dental surgery to identify why the bleeding has not ceased and if there is an infection.
Lost filling
It is an unfortunate truth that nothing lasts forever, and this can apply also to dental work.
Indeed, if you have had a filling in the past that has now come loose, even if it is not hurting, you need to get it replaced as soon as possible, even if it is only filled with an emergency filling from an out-of-hours dental practitioner.
Loose fillings can be painful and can even lead to abscesses if left untreated, so it is always best to seek emergency dental treatment the moment you notice that a filling has been lost or is loose.
If you are worried you require urgent dental treatment, please contact an emergency dentist for more information right away.
