What is Emergency Dental Care?

Determining if you need valparaiso emergency dentist depends on the type of injury that has been sustained. Accidents happen all the time and avoiding unnecessary trips to the emergency room can be decided once you are able to assess the injury. Some oral and facial injuries can be treated in a timely fashion at your dentist's office. Others require immediate attention and may not be able to wait for the dental office to open or for the on call dentist to meet you.

Sports related injuries, falls, even biting into crunchy or chewy foods can crack, break or even knock a tooth out completely. Chipping a tooth can probably wait until your dentist is open during normal business hours. Though a cracked or broken tooth could cause more severe problems and need attention more quickly. The nerve could be damaged and require immediate medical attention.

If the tooth has been knocked out, try to hold it only by the crown or the tooth, avoiding the roots. Rinse the tooth with warm water and if you can, put the tooth back in it’s socket. If you are able to place it back in, use a piece damp gauze or a wet tea bag to help hold it in place. If you cannot get the tooth back into the socket, and place it in milk and get to the dentist as quickly as possible. Hold a damp cloth to the open socket to control the bleeding.

If you are experiencing severe pain, this could be the effects of an infection or abscess. Call your dental office immediately. Dentists often save times in their schedule every day for emergencies and will likely be able to see you the same day. If you are having pain after regular business hours, call the office anyway to get the number to call for the on call dentist. If these are not available options, go ahead and make your way to the nearest emergency room. Hospitals often have a dentist on staff and they can help you by providing medications to alleviate your symptoms.

Visiting the emergency room for facial or dental traumas will give you relief when you are unable to get to the dentist as soon as you need to. Your dentist will want you to have the care you need as quickly as possible, even if that care does not come from them. The most important thing to all dental and medical professionals is that you receive the care you need when you need it!

More on Dental Emergencies : Emergency Tooth Extractions