Emergency Dentistry

Recognizing True Dental Emergencies

Not every dental problem requires dropping everything and rushing to the dentist, but certain situations need prompt professional care. Severe pain that doesn’t respond to over-the-counter medication signals something serious is happening inside your tooth or gums. Uncontrolled bleeding from your mouth after an injury needs immediate attention.

These situations require emergency dental care:

Knocked-out permanent teeth (time-sensitive—see a dentist within an hour)
Severe toothache that prevents eating or sleeping
Broken or cracked teeth with sharp edges cutting your mouth
Lost fillings or crowns that expose sensitive tooth structure
Abscesses or infections causing facial swelling
Trauma to your jaw or face affecting your bite
Objects stuck between teeth that flossing can’t remove

Dr. Ryan Kent prioritizes emergency patients who need urgent intervention. Some problems require same-day treatment to prevent permanent damage, while others need pain management and stabilization before scheduling follow-up care.

What Happens During an Emergency Dental Visit

Emergency appointments focus on diagnosing the problem, stopping pain, and preventing further damage. Your dentist examines the affected area, often takes X-rays to see what’s happening beneath the surface, and determines the best course of action.

Pain relief comes first. Whether that means extracting an abscessed tooth, performing an emergency root canal, or temporarily covering exposed nerves, getting you comfortable takes priority. Some treatments can be completed in one visit, while others require stabilization followed by definitive treatment later.

Infections demand immediate attention because they spread quickly and can become life-threatening. An abscess forms when bacteria invade the pulp inside your tooth or the gum tissue around it. The infection creates pus-filled pockets that cause severe pain and swelling. Antibiotics help control the infection, but they don’t cure it—you still need the source removed through root canal treatment or extraction.

Handling Common Dental Emergencies Before You Arrive

What you do in the minutes after a dental injury significantly affects the outcome. Quick thinking and proper first aid can mean the difference between saving a tooth and losing it permanently.

For a knocked-out tooth, time matters more than anything else. Pick up the tooth by the crown, never the root. Rinse it gently with water if it’s dirty, but don’t scrub or remove any tissue fragments. Try placing it back in the socket if possible, or keep it moist in milk or saliva. Getting to a dentist within sixty minutes gives the tooth the best chance of successful reimplantation.

Broken teeth need immediate care to prevent infection and further damage. Rinse your mouth with warm water and save any pieces you can find. If the break causes sharp edges that cut your cheek or tongue, cover them with dental wax or sugar-free gum until you can see a dentist. Cold compresses on the outside of your face reduce swelling.

Severe toothaches often indicate infection or deep decay reaching the nerve. Rinse with warm salt water to clean the area and reduce inflammation. Floss carefully around the painful tooth to remove any trapped food particles. Over-the-counter pain relievers help until you can get professional treatment, but never place aspirin directly against your gums—it burns the tissue.

When to Go to the Hospital Instead

Most dental emergencies get handled at the dentist’s office, but some situations require hospital emergency rooms. Trauma affecting your ability to breathe or stop bleeding needs immediate medical attention. Severe facial swelling that closes your eye or makes swallowing difficult signals a spreading infection that requires IV antibiotics.

Jaw fractures or dislocations need medical imaging and stabilization that dental offices can’t provide. If you can’t close your mouth properly after an injury, or your teeth don’t fit together correctly when you bite down, head to the ER. Broken facial bones often accompany dental injuries from falls, car accidents, or sports impacts.

Preventing Future Dental Emergencies

Many emergencies stem from preventable causes. Teeth don’t usually break spontaneously—they crack because existing decay or old fillings weaken them, or because you bite something too hard. Regular checkups catch these vulnerabilities before they cause problems.

Sports activities account for countless dental injuries each year. Custom mouthguards protect your teeth far better than generic store-bought versions. They cushion impacts that would otherwise knock out teeth or fracture jaws. Athletes playing contact sports should never practice or compete without wearing one.

Teeth grinding wears down enamel and creates stress fractures that eventually cause teeth to break. Most grinding happens during sleep when you can’t control it consciously. A custom nightguard from your dentist distributes forces evenly and protects your teeth from damage.

Hard foods like ice, popcorn kernels, and hard candy cause more broken teeth than most people realize. Using your teeth as tools to open packages or tear tags off clothing risks chips and cracks. These habits seem harmless until suddenly they’re not.