When you experience a dental emergency, you should always come into our office at Lake Orion Family Dentistry right away. However, you may not know what a dental emergency looks or feels like. So, in today’s blog, your Lake Orion, MI, dentist will explain the symptoms of a dental emergency, and what we can do in our office to get you back on track after one occurs.
How Do I Know If It Is an Emergency?
A dental emergency is any oral issue that isn’t life threatening but also can’t or shouldn’t wait until tomorrow. However, some dental emergencies are easier to identify than others. For example, if your child fall off of their bike and breaks their tooth, or if you watch an MMA fighter’s tooth fly out as the result of a hit, you can probably guess that they should both go see a dentist as soon as possible to increase their chances of having fewer negative effects associated with their respective dental traumas. However, there are other signs that you might be experiencing a dental emergency, including:
- A crack or chip as a result of trauma that is accompanied by pain or discoloration
- A broken tooth
- Losing a permanent or “adult” tooth
- Extreme looseness of a permanent or “adult” tooth
- A particularly bad or long-lasting toothache
While you should always contact your dentist when you are experiencing oral discomfort of any kind, including sensitivity and toothaches, if the pain is severe, or is accompanying a traumatic injury, you may be experiencing a dental emergency, and you should make an appointment right away so that we can work on restoring your smile as quickly as possible.
How We Can Help
When you call our friendly staff to schedule an emergency appointment, we will walk you through some good options for how to handle your particular emergency while waiting to come to our office. For example, if you break or lose a tooth, you should bring the pieces or intact tooth with you, submerging them in salt water or milk without removing any attached tissues. If you are in pain, you may be advised to take over the counter pain medications or to apply an ice pack on your face opposite the affected area of your mouth to numb the pain. Once you are in our office, our staff can address the root of your problem. If your emergency was caused by trauma, we can work to restore your tooth in a timely manner so that you can go back to normal as soon as possible. If you are experiencing severe pain without trauma, we can diagnose the source of that pain, such as tooth decay, and work to solve the problem.
Don’t Hesitate to Call
If you ever have any questions about dental healthcare, what’s normal, and what isn’t, we want to help you find the answers! And, if you experience what might be a dental emergency, you should contact us right away. To schedule an appointment, call Lake Orion Family Dentistry in Lake Orion, MI, today at 248-693-6213.
