Any mouth injury or tooth pain could mean you need emergency dental care. Then again, you might not have a dental emergency at all. It’s always wise to err on the side of caution and contact your Arlington dentist to find out if you need to be seen. To minimize panic about oral health problems, it helps to know some of the things that constitute a true dental emergency.
Blood Isn’t Always Bad
When you take a hit to the mouth, there will be blood. Sometimes, there will be a lot of blood. Major bleeding doesn’t necessarily mean a big problem. There are so many blood vessels in the mouth that even the smallest injury to the lip, gum, or other tissues can result in what seems like an alarming amount of blood.
Pain Should Never Be Tolerated
One shooting pain in a tooth could be a fluke and is not an indication of sudden doom. A chronic toothache, however, is a sign that something is not right. If you have sensitivity to hot and cold beverages and an ongoing ache, the discomfort is only going to get worse. You will likely need dental intervention and that could include a tooth-colored filling, root canal therapy, or even tooth extraction.
Cosmetic Issues Can Often Wait
Emergency dental care is not always necessary when you have a cosmetic problem. Sure, a broken tooth or a damaged porcelain veneer is frustrating because these issues will affect how you look. But if you can’t make it to your dentist’s office until the next day or within a few days, your reflection might not make you happy but your oral health will likely be OK.
Sometimes You Need Help, Stat
There are some situations where an urgent call to your Arlington dentist is absolutely necessary. Don’t take any chances. Let your dentist decide when she needs to see you right away.
- Dislodged tooth
- Tooth abscess
- Debilitating toothache
- Lost crown
- Lost filling
- Broken tooth
- Chipped tooth
- Sudden chronic discomfort
- Severe mouth or jaw injury
Don’t Ignore a Dental Emergency
Even if the tooth or mouth pain isn’t so bad, even if you think your oral health problem will go away on its own, you must accept that dental problems only get worse the longer you wait to have address them. You don’t have to wait until your next dental appointment to talk about your oral health problem. The pain and damage will only get worse, and lead to invasive, lengthier, and more costly repairs.
Whether a sports injury, car accident, fist fight, or fall, any blow to the mouth could result in dental problems and require emergency dental care. A constant toothache, pain when eating or drinking, and chronic pain often demands emergency intervention.
Ultimately, you never want to self-diagnose your oral health problem. Your dentist will determine what the level of urgency is for your circumstances, and she takes every concern seriously. Don’t be embarrassed, stressed, or blasé about an oral health problem – it often takes only one visit to your Arlington dentist to get your issue repaired.
Contact Dr. Alana Macalik right now at 817-873-2580 if you are experiencing a dental emergency.