What Counts as a Dental Emergency, and What Can Wait?

Let’s say you chipped, broke, or knocked out a tooth. You might feel like there are more urgent things to respond to after your accident. After all, some dental issues are merely uncomfortable or annoying. But others interfere with daily tasks like eating and speaking. And in the most serious cases, dental issues are potentially life-threatening. So, what actually counts as a dental emergency, and what can wait?

You should always act immediately if you’re experiencing uncontrolled bleeding, a worsening infection, or trauma to the face that is compromising your airway. You also need to act urgently if you’re at risk of infection, in severe pain, or have loose or missing teeth. The sooner you visit a dentist to treat the damage and underlying cause, the better your chances of a full recovery.

Signs of a Dental Emergency That Can’t Wait

You need to act fast if you have a dental emergency that can’t wait. In some scenarios, unaddressed dental issues can become life-threatening. If you’ve had a tooth or mouth injury and you’re experiencing uncontrolled bleeding, you need to address this right away. Bleeding is uncontrolled when it is heavy or excessive, or doesn’t stop within 15 minutes. When bleeding doesn’t stop, it can also potentially block your airway.

Another situation where you need to act fast is if you have inflammation or trauma to your face that could potentially compromise your airway. You need to manage these symptoms as quickly as possible before your airway becomes blocked. In cases where your injury is life-threatening, you should go to the emergency room. Other signs it’s time to head to the ER include an infection accompanied by fever or rapid heart rate. These are signs that an infection has spread to the bloodstream.

The ER doesn’t always need to be your first stop. For non-life-threatening dental issues, you might end up waiting a long time at the emergency room, just to be told to follow up with a dentist anyway.

See an Emergency Dentist for Urgent Dental Issues

In urgent dental care situations that aren’t life-threatening, you should go to a dentist’s office to treat the underlying causes. Severe pain or discomfort may result from the injury itself, or you could be showing early signs of an infection that may worsen without treatment.

You should seek prompt dental attention for:

• Dental pain and sensitivity in a single tooth, which could be a sign that you need a root canal
• Inflammation, pus, or sores that won’t heal in the mouth, which may point to a localized infection
• Tooth fractures that hurt or cause soft tissue trauma
• Sports or impact-related trauma that knocks out a tooth or pushes it into an unnatural position

In these circumstances, your dental emergency can become more serious if left unaddressed. By acting urgently, you could be saving yourself from more pain down the line.

Services an Emergency Dentist Offers

As an emergency dentist, Dr. Magno offers a variety of treatments depending on your unique condition. For instance, she may recommend dental bonding to repair minor chips and cracks in the tooth. If you need this kind of fix, she will apply a resin that matches the natural tooth color and carefully shape it to repair your smile. If you prefer a more long-lasting option, veneers can also conceal cracks and chips. Typically, Dr. Magno attaches veneers to the front top 4-8 teeth, cosmetically enhancing the teeth most visible when you smile.

If you’re experiencing pain or tooth inflammation, Dr. Magno can perform a root canal to save the tooth from extraction. In other instances, extracting a tooth might actually be best for your smile’s overall health. If you need a tooth removed, Dr. Magno can replace it with a mini dental implant with a crown. This solution restores your smile’s appearance and helps maintain bone density and bite strength. With mini implants, you can enjoy a stable, long-lasting alternative to bridges or traditional dentures.

With all of these tools in hand, Dr. Magno is ready to provide you with the best care to ease your stress, relieve your pain, and restore your smile during a dental emergency.

Call or Text for Urgent Dental Care

In the case of a life-threatening dental emergency, go to the ER right away. But if you’re experiencing persistent pain and discomfort or see signs of an infection, seeking emergency dental care with Dr. Rose Magno can help ease your pain.

At San Francisco East Bay Mini Dental Implants, Dr. Magno is prepared to give you quality emergency dental care for your urgent needs.

Call or text 510-591-0091 to be seen as soon as possible. For non-urgent care, you can fill out our convenient online contact form.