How To Handle a Dental Emergency: A Step-By-Step Guide

Dental emergencies can happen at any time, day or night, on weekends or holidays. Many people put off seeing an emergency dentist because they are not entirely sure if their situation should be considered a dental emergency. Some situations that can be considered dental emergencies are when you are experiencing intense pain, are running a fever, are bleeding, or have extreme swelling.

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What Is Considered A Dental Emergency?

Our dental emergency guide considers a dental emergency to include a wide range of conditions, including:

Broken, chipped, or cracked teeth
Knocked out teeth
Facial trauma to the teeth, gums, and jaw bone
Bleeding from the gums that won’t stop
A dislocated jaw or broken jaw
Severe toothaches
Severe swelling and soreness
Lost fillings
Damaged dentures, bridges, and implants
Damaged braces and other orthodontic appliances
Painful, impacted wisdom teeth

Steps To Follow When Having A Dental Emergency

When experiencing a dental emergency, it is crucial to ensure you resolve the issue as soon as possible before it worsens. Some steps to follow are:

1. Call An Emergency Dentist

Your first step should be to call an emergency dentist to schedule an appointment and get advice. Most emergency dentists have after-hours lines you can call when you are having an emergency outside of normal office hours.

2. Follow The Dentist’s Advice

The dentist usually gives you advice over the phone depending on the dental emergency and how they can see you. For example, a toothache occurs when the office is closed. They may recommend trying a warm saltwater rinse, oral numbing gel, or an over-the-counter pain reliever until they can see you the following day. For more serious situations, like knocked-out teeth and facial trauma, they may want you to meet them at the hospital emergency room or their office and not wait.

3. Save Broken And Knocked-Out Teeth

It may be possible to restore a broken or knocked-out tooth. However, you need to act quickly to protect the tooth. Never rinse the tooth in tap water. For a knocked-out tooth, gently place it back into the socket and hold it in place.

If you are unable to do this, take the tooth and place it in a container with some milk. Broken teeth should also be placed in a container with some milk. Avoid touching a broken or knocked-out tooth by the root. Always hold it by the top of the tooth — the tooth crown.

4. Treat The Injury Site

Until you can see an emergency dentist, you need to treat the injury site as follows:

Bleeding: Try a warm saltwater rinse to stop the bleeding. You can also apply gauze or cotton balls to the area where it is bleeding.
Broken braces: Make sure there are no metal pieces in your mouth by rinsing it out. Avoid eating and drinking with broken braces until you see an emergency dentist.
Dislocated or broken jaw: Apply ice to help with swelling and pain — ice for no longer than 20 minutes at a time with 30-minute breaks in between icing.
Swollen and sore gums: Ice packs can help. Another option is to place a tea bag over the area, as teas have natural properties that reduce inflammation and alleviate pain. If you use a tea bag, place it in a cup and pour hot water over it to cover the bag. Allow it to steep for 15 minutes and cool down before using it.
Cracked teeth: In a cracked tooth emergency, it is important not to place any pressure on the teeth. You should also avoid eating and drinking until you see an emergency dentist.

5. Have Someone Else Drive You To The Dentist

You should avoid driving because the pain, discomfort, or bleeding you are experiencing are often distractions that could lead to car accidents. It is better for you to try to relax while someone else drives. Also, if you need to be sedated, like for wisdom tooth removal, you need someone else to drive post-treatment.

6. Follow Up With Your Regular Dentist

An emergency dentist will address your immediate dental problem. While they will resolve your emergency, there can be other underlying issues that must also be addressed to prevent future dental emergencies. Additionally, you may require additional treatments or a follow-up visit to ensure everything is healed correctly. Schedule a follow-up appointment with your regular dentist as soon as possible.

7. Take All Antibiotics

If you have a dental infection, your emergency dentist will prescribe antibiotics. It is vital to take all of the antibiotics, even if you are feeling better. If you stop taking them too soon, the infection may not be fully gone and can return, leading to another dental emergency.

How To Handle A Dental Emergency: Final Thoughts

Determining whether you have a dental emergency depends on the extent of your pain, discomfort, and type of dental problem. However, you should not ignore the problem as it will only worsen. It is important to contact an emergency dentist as soon as possible for advice and to schedule an appointment.

Get Help From Our Katy And Houston Emergency Dentists

When you have a dental emergency and are looking for an emergency dentist near you, help is available at URBN Dental. We have emergency dentists available 24/7. They can be seen during our regular office hours or after hours when you need to see a dentist immediately. Do not hesitate to contact our emergency dentists day or night for assistance and advice whenever you have a dental emergency.

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