Common Dental Emergencies And Their Management

Being prepared for a Dental Emergency is essential for any dental practice, as emergencies can happen unexpectedly and require immediate attention to prevent further complications. Whether it’s a patient with intense pain or an abscess, quick and effective intervention is crucial. Being unprepared in such situations can lead to long-term damage, higher costs for patients, and a potentially stressful situation for both the patient and the dental team.

What is a Dental Emergency?

Any dental issue that requires immediate attention to the teeth and surrounding tissues to prevent serious complications is a Dental Emergency. Not all dental issues are emergencies, a few examples include bleeding that won’t stop, pain that doesn’t get better with medication or facial swelling. Here at Franklin Bright Smiles, we try our best to provide you with immediate dental care to help you deal with your dental concerns at the earliest.

Symptoms to look out for:

• Severe pain in the teeth or jaw.
• Uncontrolled bleeding.
• Swelling in the mouth, face, or throat.
• Broken teeth, or a tooth that's loose or has come out.
• A fever or bad taste in your mouth.

What Is Considered A Dental Emergency?

Mentioned below are a few commonly encountered dental emergencies and how you can manage them until you see your dentist:

1) Severe Toothache

Cause: Severe toothache can occur as a result of many reasons, including tooth decay, pericoronitis or third molar pain, dental abscess, gum disease or trauma.‍

Management: First, thoroughly rinse your mouth with warm water. Use dental floss to remove any lodged food. If your mouth is swollen, apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth or cheek. Call your dentist who can guide you to take over-the-counter pain relievers, such as acetaminophen, naproxen or ibuprofen till you personally visit the dental office. (Never put aspirin or any other painkillers against your gums or tooth because it may burn your gum tissue.) See your dentist as soon as possible.

2) Badly Fractured Tooth

Cause: Broken teeth are a common dental emergency. This can occur if you experience blunt force to the tooth such as while playing sports or in car accidents, or if you suffer from extensive tooth decay.

Management: Save and rinse any broken pieces of your tooth. Rinse your mouth with warm water. If there’s bleeding, apply a piece of gauze with pressure to the area for about 10 minutes or until the bleeding stops. Apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth, cheek or lip near your fractured/chipped tooth to relieve pain and keep any swelling down. 

3) Avulsed Tooth

Cause: Blunt force to the tooth or severe gum disease can result in the tooth coming out of its socket.

Management: Retrieve the tooth, hold it by the crown (the part that’s usually visible above your gums) and rinse off the tooth with water. Don’t scrub it or remove any attached tissue fragments. If possible, try to put your tooth back in its socket. Make sure it’s facing the right way. Never force it into place. If you are not sure about it or it’s not possible to reinsert your tooth in its socket, put your tooth in a small container of cold milk. In all cases, see your dentist as quickly as possible. Your dentist has the best chance of saving your tooth when it’s returned to its socket within one hour.

4) Extruded (partially dislodged) Tooth

Cause: Blunt trauma due to sports or accidents or gum disease.‍

Management: See your dentist right away. Until you reach your dentist’s office, to relieve pain, apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth or cheek in the affected area. Take an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as acetaminophen, naproxen or ibuprofen if needed.

5) Dental Abscess

Cause: An abscess is a serious infection that can damage the tissue and surrounding teeth. It is mostly caused by tooth decay or gum disease. Left untreated, the infection could cause swelling of your face or jaw, or possibly spread to other parts of your body. 

Management: If you have a dental abscess, you should see the dentist as soon as possible who can put you on proper antibiotic coverage and help drain the pus or remove the source of infection. 

6) Lost or Broken Dental Restoration

Cause: Sometimes, old dental restorations can fall out or become dislodged or you might have a broken dental crown or bridge, caused by biting on hard food stuff or trauma.

Management: In either case, make an appointment to see your dentist as soon as possible and bring the restoration/crown/bridge with you if possible.

7) Orthodontic Emergencies

Broken braces and wires: If a wire breaks or sticks out of a bracket or band and is poking your cheek, tongue, or gum, try covering the end with orthodontic wax, a small cotton ball, or piece of gauze until you can get to your dentist’s office. Never cut the wire, as you could end up swallowing it or breathing it into your lungs.

Loose brackets and bands: Temporarily reattach loose braces with a small piece of orthodontic wax. Alternatively, place the wax over the braces to provide a cushion. See your dentist as soon as possible. 

Tips to Prevent Sports-Related Tooth and Mouth Injuries

• Mouth guards: When playing sports, the best way to protect your teeth and mouth is by wearing a mouth guard.
• Face cages: These protect against trauma to the face, especially when playing certain sports positions, like baseball catcher or hockey goalie.
• Helmets: It's always wise to wear a helmet made for the activity that you are doing. Although most helmets won't protect the teeth and mouth, they will protect another important area, your head, to help protect against a concussion.

Common Mistakes in Dental Emergencies

One of the biggest mistakes in dental emergencies is not seeking care immediately. This can put your health at significant risk and be potentially life-threatening. In addition, substituting home remedies for professional care can be detrimental to your health. Although home remedies can temporarily soothe discomfort, professional treatment is necessary to address the underlying cause.

Conclusion

Knowing the difference between a dental nuisance and a dental emergency is essential. The best way to prevent a dental emergency is to stay on top of your oral health at home and to see your dentist regularly.

If you’re looking to find a dentist for your dental emergency care, you can contact us at (02) 6274 0404 for Franklin Bright Smiles. We’re here to help with all your dental needs, urgent or non-urgent!

FAQ's - Frequently Asked Questions‍

1) What to do in a dental emergency?

If you’re experiencing a dental emergency, the first thing you should do is call your dentist for further instructions. Many dentists have an emergency number you can call, if it’s after regular business hours. Most dental emergencies mentioned above are treated in the dental office. For more serious injuries, such as broken facial bones, you should go directly to the emergency room.

2) Do you take walk-in appointments in case of emergencies?

If you are experiencing a dental emergency, we try and priorities you and accommodate you as soon as we can to alleviate you off your discomfort.

3) What if my Gums, Cheeks or Tongue are Injured?

In this situation it is important to stop the bleeding first. You can do this by applying light pressure to the injury with a cold compress. Then contact us at Franklin Bright Smiles for further assessment and management