118-Is a broken tooth an emergency
Is a Broken Tooth an Emergency?
A broken tooth is not necessarily an emergency. Most of the time you can wait for your upcoming scheduled dental appointment for the treatment of a toothache or some tooth sensitivity. An over-the-counter pain reliever can provide the necessary relief until your dentist is available to examine you. It can be quite confusing as to what dictates an emergency dental visit. A broken tooth will often fall into this category, and by reviewing the following suggestions, it will help you determine whether immediate emergency attention is necessary in your situation.
Understanding What is a Dental Emergency
A dental emergency is a situation that demands immediate attention from a medical professional. In many cases, this means calling your dentist and arranging an urgent appointment. In other situations, it could be crucial to go to an urgent care facility or your hospital emergency room. These options will provide you with the critical immediate medical treatment until you can be seen by your dentist.
How Do You Know When to Seek Emergency Treatment?
A broken tooth usually justifies an urgent visit to your dentist or a medical professional. A broken tooth is a frequent and common dental emergency. It is unfortunately quite common to suffer a broken tooth from participating in a contact sport, suffering from a fall, or even biting into hard food. Even though a broken tooth is a serious matter, there are still distinct kinds of a broken tooth that are considered non-emergencies.
A minor tooth fracture, or crack, or a chipped tooth does not require an emergency trip to either your dentist or a medical facility. There is no immediate threat to your overall health. In this situation just schedule a dental appointment as soon as reasonably possible.
Emergency dental care is indeed necessary for a significant broken tooth. A serious fracture is now a large chunk of the tooth has broken off. This situation is often accompanied by some intense discomfort or pain. In this case, seeking out immediate medical attention is crucial.
Knowing Where to Go for a Dental Emergency
You can receive the required medical treatment even though a dentist is not present. Your dentist might schedule some time regularly to treat emergencies. Call your dentist first or another local dentist in your area to investigate emergency availability. There is certainly a good chance the office may work your emergency in the same day you broke the tooth.
Of course, we all know that a broken tooth never occurs at a convenient time. A broken tooth might happen at night, on a remarkably busy weekend or during a holiday. Under any circumstances, always call your dental office no matter the time of day. Most often there is an emergency number provided which will give you pre-recorded instructions on how to manage your dental emergency.
Is a Broken Tooth an Emergency?
So, in summary, is your broken tooth an emergency? The answer to this question is not easy and certainly varies from not only person to person, but case to case. It really depends on the severity of the fracture. Seek emergency attention immediately if a sizable portion of the tooth is broken and you are experiencing pain.