A Step-by-Step Guide to Dental Emergencies: Tips, Treatment, and Prevention

Dental emergencies don’t wait for convenient times to happen. You could be eating in a restaurant when you feel a tooth crack. A fall could cause a mouth injury that requires immediate attention. The toothache you’ve been ignoring could hit you one morning like a ton of bricks.

Regardless of the situation, you need to be able to tell a real dental emergency from an everyday problem that can wait until your next regularly scheduled dentist visit. Continue reading to learn how to spot a tooth emergency, how to contact your emergency dentist, and what you can do to prepare for your visit.

When do you need an emergency dentist?

Dental discomfort, jaw pain, or other minor issues can impact people for different reasons without being a cause for alarm. But what is a dental emergency? Full-blown dental emergencies have a more predictable trajectory, which begins with certain key symptoms, including:

• Persistent toothache
• Oral infections
• Dry tooth sockets
• Bleeding gums
• Broken teeth or dentures
• Gums that are swollen or red/purple in color

Checking for these symptoms will help you determine whether you’re experiencing a true dental emergency or an everyday issue that your dentist can examine at your next scheduled checkup. In the absence of an obvious cause like a fall or sports injury, a dental emergency can be a sign of a more serious issue.

For instance, if you have bleeding or swollen gums, plaque and tartar buildup may have progressed to gingivitis. If you have been ignoring a toothache for a while, a cavity may have reached the inner layers of your tooth where the more sensitive nerve structures are located. While some discomfort could be the result of a temporary issue, your teeth and gums should never feel persistently swollen or painful.

Assuming that you’ve examined your symptoms and decided that it is a real dental emergency, the question now becomes: what should you do?

Steps to follow in a dental emergency

If your symptoms suggest a dental emergency, follow this easy guide to ensure you get the help you need:

Remain calm

Remaining calm may be easier said than done, but a dental emergency requires careful action. Even if you recognize the signs of a life-threatening emergency that requires a hospital visit, you should still try to remain calm by slowing down your breathing and trying not to panic.

In most cases of dental distress, a hospital will not be necessary. Contacting your emergency dentist should be your first priority. If you are unsure of what to do next, their emergency staff will help you determine the severity of your situation based on your current symptoms and may recommend an emergency room based on your situation.

Determine whether your situation is an emergency

You can determine whether your situation requires immediate attention based on the symptoms. A dull ache or sensitive feeling in your tooth may not warrant immediate treatment. OTC pain relievers may tide you over until your next scheduled dentist appointment. In comparison, bleeding, swelling, changes in color, signs of infection, severe pain, broken teeth, and dry sockets are just some of the symptoms that warrant emergency dental treatment.

In certain instances, such as those that are potentially life-threatening, you should contact an emergency room instead of an emergency dentist. These situations could include a broken or dislocated jaw, a severe face injury, or an infection that prevents you from breathing or swallowing normally.

Call your emergency dentist or an emergency room

In most dental emergencies, an emergency dentist will fit you into their schedule to help you address your issue. Their staff are trained to respond quickly to emergencies and help you locate their office so you can get the care you need. Many offer 24-hour care for those in need of emergency dental services.

In non-life-threatening situations, your emergency dentist will be able to provide better, cheaper, and faster care than a traditional emergency room. Dental medicine is a specialized practice that most hospitals are not equipped to handle. Ironically, many patients who seek emergency rooms for dental emergencies are often referred to emergency dentists for treatment.

At Keys Dental Specialists, we prioritize efficient care in emergency situations. We want to ensure you are comfortable and calm during your emergency walk-in visit so we can examine you and determine the treatment you need.

Emergency walk-in appointment

Dental emergencies don’t always happen conveniently during normal office hours. You may wake up in the middle of the night with a broken tooth or swollen gums. You may have an accident in your home.

Whatever the case, some dental offices offer after-hours appointment options for patients with untimely dental emergencies. If you call the office and no one picks up, leave a concise message with your name, situation, and phone number, and they’ll get back to you when they can to set up a time for your emergency appointment.

In some offices, these appointments could happen right then and there, even after hours and on weekends. Otherwise, they will assess your situation and tell you whether you should visit an emergency room or wait until office hours the next day for the dentist to see you. They will tell you how to manage your symptoms in the meantime.

Waiting until the appointment

In some cases, your emergency dentist may not be available. If the problem is not life-threatening, you can wait until the morning for your dental emergency treatment. Emergency rooms may seem faster, but for non-life-threatening situations, you may have to wait a while to see anyone.

If your symptoms are manageable until you can see an emergency dentist, here are some tips to help alleviate the pain. On the phone, your emergency dentist’s office will likely give you similar advice.

• Keep your head elevated
• Use a cold compress or ice to reduce facial inflammation
• Take OTC pain relievers or use a pain relief gel
• Gently rinse with warm water

Certain homeopathic remedies may prove useful in certain situations as well. Depending on your symptoms, you may benefit from one or several of these home hacks for tooth pain:

• Rub diluted clove oil into swollen gums to reduce pain
• Drink cooled peppermint tea
• Put a little vanilla extract on the painful area
• Chew garlic to release allicin, a relieving oil

These natural remedies may or may not ease your symptoms, and they certainly can’t treat your underlying emergency. However, these low-risk treatments may be useful, especially if you have to weather a long night waiting for your emergency dentist to open the next morning.

Visit your emergency dentist

When your appointment time arrives, drive or use a rideshare service if you feel distracted or impaired by the pain. At the office, your emergency dentist will be prepared to expedite your exam and treatment to learn the cause of your symptoms. Your next steps after that, whether you can be treated in-office or need to be referred to a specialist, will be determined by your emergency dentist based on their exam.

How to prevent dental emergencies

After your dental emergency visit, your provider may tell you ways that you can avoid needing dental emergency treatment in the future. Some dental emergencies, such as those caused by a fall or accident, cannot be prevented. However, other emergencies resulting from poor oral hygiene habits are entirely preventable in many cases.

Speak with your dentist about your oral hygiene habits to learn how you can prevent issues that could one day lead to a dental emergency. In the meantime, use these basic tips to create a healthy routine for yourself or your children that will put you on the right track toward long-term oral health.

• Brush at least twice a day
• Floss at least once a day
• Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and a toothpaste containing fluoride
• Use a mouthwash containing fluoride at least once a day
• Check your or your child’s gums for signs of swelling or color changes
• Get a dental checkup at least twice a year

Regular checkups ensure that your dentist is aware of your oral health condition. This makes it easier for them to address issues early and potentially prevent a dental emergency with more conservative treatment measures.

Don’t wait for a situation to become painful before informing your dentist. Any change in appearance or sensation in your lips, teeth, gums, tongue, or cheeks should be reported, especially if they recur.

Numerous tooth extractions and root canals could be prevented by consistently monitoring these and any other changes. While it may be tempting to hide these issues from your dentist, the sooner you keep your dentist informed, the easier it will be for them to diagnose and manage your oral health condition now to prevent dental emergencies later.

Visit Keys Dental Specialists for Advanced Restorative Dentistry

At Keys Dental Specialists, we pride ourselves on being the best Key West dentist in the fields of maxillofacial surgery and restorative dentistry. Our surgeon, Dr. Eberle, is double board-certified in providing complex dental implant restorations including root canals, jaw and facial reconstructions, dental implants, bone grafts, corrective jaw surgeries, and more.

Our team of specialists is committed to helping you find the level of care you deserve. Feel free to contact us so we can help you get on the right track to discovering (or rediscovering) your ideal smile.