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When the dentist’s office is closed, there are few things more terrifying than wondering if you need emergency care, particularly if the problem is in your mouth.
While many emergency healthcare services are available, finding a dentist who is open late is nearly complicated. Instead of panicking, this is the time to learn about what you can do in times of emergency. If you believe you require an emergency tooth extraction, here’s what you should do.
To book an appointment, visit our homepage www.emergencydentistperth.com.au.
How To Determine If There Is An Emergency
Even if you are in pain, not every dental problem is an emergency. The majority of them will not necessitate an emergency tooth extraction.
However, you don’t want to assume everything is alright to discover that waiting has made the situation worse. Let’s look at what constitutes an urgent emergency.
What Is Considered As An Emergency?
1. If you’re suffering uncontrollable bleeding, you may require an emergency tooth extraction.
2. It’s an emergency if you’ve knocked out a permanent tooth or if one is loose. If your jaw has been damaged, there is swelling in the region, or you have a terrible toothache, you should seek immediate medical attention.
If you’re suffering from any, or all, of these symptoms right now, call your dentist straight immediately.
You must act quickly if your tooth has been knocked out. To keep your original tooth, see your dentist within 30 minutes of it being knocked out.
What Doesn’t Qualify As An Emergency
Any symptoms listed below are considered non-emergencies and may most likely wait until the dentist returns to the office.
1. Any missing fillings, crowns, or bridges can be replaced later. It may make you feel uneasy until it’s replaced, but it’s not a medical emergency.
2. Damaged or fractured teeth may often be postponed. If the fractured or cracked tooth is causing you a lot of discomfort, treat it as an emergency and see your dentist immediately.
A mild toothache may be uncomfortable, but it is not life-threatening. To feel better and minimize swelling, take over-the-counter pain medication like Tylenol.
While food trapped between your teeth might be unpleasant, floss can generally help get it out. If it doesn’t, wait until your dentist’s office is open before calling.
Similarly, if your retainer or mouthguard is misplaced or broken, these are minor annoyances, not emergencies.
How To Temporarily Get Rid of the Pain
There are several recommendations about how to treat a toothache on the internet (including misconceptions). Some of the approaches might work better than others, depending on your individual situation. In general, we recommend the following:
- Floss & brush your teeth to get rid of food pieces stuck between them. Rinse well with warm water.
- Although you may use aspirin to relieve pain, you should not apply aspirin or any other pain reliever to the gums around the painful tooth. This can cause gum tissue to burn and become damaged.
- Book an appointment with your dentist right away.
It’s crucial to remember that while toothache discomfort may go away for a while, it will typically return until the underlying cause is treated.
Why Would I Need a Tooth Extraction in an Emergency?
An emergency tooth extraction is required when it’s necessary to remove a tooth within 24 hours. Massive fractures, extreme pain, big cracks, and other circumstances that might jeopardize a patient’s dental health are examples of these occurrences. If an emergency dentist can, the tooth will be saved. If they can’t, they’ll extract the tooth and talk to you about your replacement choices.
Because emergency treatments are so important, most emergency dentists will make every effort to see you within 24 hours.
Is It Going to Be More Expensive?
The answer is yes. Emergency dentistry, like an emergency department visit, gives the dentist little to no time to prepare. While some dentist clinics specialize in emergency care, others will only accept emergency patients if required. Emergency dental operations may not be covered by insurance, which means the patient will be responsible for the entire cost of the procedure and any additional costs incurred as a result of the surgery being an emergency.
Keeping this in mind, it’s still critical to see an emergency dentist if you have a dental emergency. While it may be tempting to “gut it out” to save a few dollars, you will most likely experience greater agony and make it more difficult for the dentist to salvage your tooth. If you let the damage worsen, your dentist will likely have to conduct more costly operations to save the tooth. If the damage becomes severe enough, complete extraction will be the only choice.