Is a broken tooth an emergency?
A broken tooth is not necessarily a dental emergency. In many situations, you might be able to wait for your next scheduled dental appointment if you are dealing with a toothache or tooth sensitivity. An over-the-counter pain reliever will provide adequate relief while you wait for your dentist to become available. Each one of us are different, as are our health predicaments. It will vary as to what necessitates an emergency dental visit. A broken tooth does not usually fall into the emergency category, and with the following suggestions, you can determine whether immediate emergency attention is indeed necessary.
Understanding a Dental Emergency
A dental emergency is when you find yourself in a situation that requires immediate medical attention from a professional. In most cases, this involves calling your dentist and urgently scheduling a same-day appointment. In other cases, it could be necessary to visit your local hospital emergency room or an urgent care facility. This will provide you with the immediate medical attention and treatment while you wait to see your dentist.
When Do You Seek Emergency Treatment?
A broken tooth does usually justify an emergency visit to your dentist. In fact, a broken tooth is a quite common dental emergency. You may suffer a broken tooth as the result of participating in a sports-related activity, taking an expected tumble, or even biting on hard food. A broken tooth is a serious matter, but there are still two types of a broken tooth that are considered non-emergencies.
These broken tooth events that do not require an immediate trip to your dentist or an emergency room are a minor tooth fracture or a chipped tooth. There is no pending threat to your overall health. With either of these cases just schedule a dental appointment soon.
Emergency dental care is warranted for a major broken tooth. A serious tooth fracture is one where an entire portion of the tooth has broken off. This is often accompanied by some intense dental pain. If you find yourself in this situation, it is now crucial to seek out immediate medical attention. Putting it off can lead to the need for an extraction.
Where to Go for a Dental Emergency
You can get the immediate medical treatment you need whether there is a dentist on staff or not. Your dentist may very well set aside some time each day for emergency patients. It is worthwhile to start by calling your dentist or another local dentist in your area. There is always the possibility the office can work your broken tooth emergency in the very same day.
A broken tooth never happens when it is convenient. An accident involving a broken tooth can happen at night, on your weekend or during a vacation. Always call your dental office no matter what time it is. Usually, most offices have an emergency number that you can dial which will provide you some pre-recorded instructions on how to deal with your dental emergency. There is always the option of visiting the ER.
How do You Know if Your Broken Tooth an Emergency?
The answer to whether your broken tooth is an emergency is never clear-cut and varies case to case. The real baseline is it depends on the severity of the fracture. Immediately seek medical attention if a major portion of the tooth is broken and you are experiencing discomfort and pain.