What Constitutes a Dental Emergency?

Many people associate emergency care with life-or-death situations. However, numerous issues demand prompt medical intervention to avoid other complications. In the world of dentistry, that can involve serious problems like permanent tooth loss and the spread of infection.

Whether you suffer a trauma to your mouth or another oral health issue, Dr. Daniil Payziyev and the team at Dentistry on Park provide emergency dental services when you need them most — mainly, when something unexpected or serious comes up.

Confused about what dental issues can’t wait? Here are a few situations that require emergency dental services.

Losing a tooth

It’s easy to assume that all is lost if you lose a permanent tooth. However, sometimes we can save the tooth if you act fast.

If your tooth gets knocked out or falls out, take these steps immediately:

• Find and rinse the tooth with water, but only touch it by the crown
• Put it back in the socket, if possible
• Secure it in place with gauze or a wet tea bag
• Call our office

And don’t worry if you can’t get the tooth back in place. Simply tuck it between your cheek and gums or put it in a glass of milk until you get to the office.

Cracking, chipping, or breaking a tooth

Think you can delay a visit to the dentist for a crack, chip, or break? Think again. Any damage to a tooth, even minor, leaves you vulnerable to infection, decay, and at risk of losing the tooth.

Fortunately, getting emergency dental services to repair the damage as quickly as possible can often preserve your tooth and protect you from infection. If you damage a tooth, rinse your mouth with lukewarm water, and apply a cold compress to the area while you wait for your appointment.

Problems with previous dental work

Do you have a filling, implant, crown, bridge, or dentures? If any of them break or fail, it’s time to get to the dentist — fast.

Dental restorations work to restore and protect your teeth from future problems. However, they can’t do their job when broken, which leaves you vulnerable to bacteria, decay, and infection.

Pain

Pain is one of the most obvious signs of a problem, especially when it involves your tooth, jaw, or gums. In many cases, it means you have an infection brewing from gum disease or tooth decay.

When pain strikes in your mouth, it’s essential to get to the dentist quickly. During your visit, we can relieve your discomfort, prevent or treat an infection, and identify the underlying cause of your pain to avoid worsening problems.

Trauma

Last but not least, get to the dentist if you sustain any trauma to your mouth that leads to swelling or bleeding. Taking this step allows us to assess the situation closer and guarantee there aren’t more problems than meets the eye, like hairline cracks or chips.

However, if you have excessive bleeding, seek urgent medical care immediately.

At the end of the day, when in doubt, don’t wait to see the dentist. Contact our Dentistry on Park office on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in New York so we can offer personalized guidance and emergency dental services today.