When emergency medical problems like symptoms of a heart attack strike, you probably know that it’s time to head to the emergency room for evaluation and treatment. When it comes to dental emergencies, it can be less obvious that you need help right away.
Here at Perfect Smiles Dental of Pleasant Hill, Nupur Gupta, DDS, provides compassionate, expert dental care that includes emergency dentistry. When you have a dental emergency, we need to identify it early on so you get the immediate care you need to prevent complications.
In this blog, Dr. Gupta shares insights on signs you might need emergency dental care.
What can and can’t wait
Some dental problems can wait until your scheduled appointment with Dr. Gupta, while other problems need attention right away. Knowing the difference will help you decide when to schedule an emergency dental appointment.
A broken veneer may look unappealing but it doesn’t require emergency assistance. On the other hand, if you’re playing sports and a tooth is knocked out, you should schedule an emergency appointment immediately.
In general, the following situations are considered a dental emergency:
- Severe toothache
- Knocked out tooth
- Intense mouth or jaw pain
- Abscesses
- Bleeding mouth
Here we discuss specific dental emergency scenarios in more detail.
Broken or knocked-out tooth
Sudden trauma to your mouth that results in a knocked out tooth is always considered an emergency. Whether from a sports injury or a slip-and-fall, you should seek immediate emergency dental care as soon as possible.
If you have a dislodged tooth, our goal is to save your natural tooth. If your tooth is still in your mouth, use gauze or a clean cloth to hold it in place while en route to our office. If it’s knocked completely out, put it in a small container of milk after rinsing off any dirt or debris to preserve the tooth until you reach our office.
Bleeding that doesn’t stop
Your gums are delicate and may sometimes bleed when you do things like brush your teeth or eat popcorn. This usually isn’t anything to worry about because the bleeding is minimal, brief, and stops on its own.
Any bleeding that doesn’t stop requires emergency dental care. If you come to our office Immediately, we can identify the cause and stop the bleeding, as well as lessen the likelihood of permanent tooth, gum, or jaw damage.
Severe pain
Severe pain and swelling are warning signs of serious dental problems. If severe pain strikes, call our office immediately to schedule an emergency visit with Dr. Gupta.
A tooth abscess is a common cause of severe pain and swelling. An abscess is a pus-filled infection of the soft pulp inside the tooth.
Don’t try to wait it out if you have an abscessed tooth. Untreated tooth infections can quickly spread to your jawbone and the soft tissues of your neck and face.
You can’t predict when a dental emergency will occur, but when it strikes, you reduce the risk of complications and protect your oral health if you seek immediate emergency dental care.
Dr. Gupta and our team at Perfect Smile Dental of Pleasant Hill are here when you need us most. Call us now at 925-255-0244, or contact us online to let us know you’re coming in. Our office is located in Pleasant Hill, California.