When to Visit the Dentist for an Emergency

You may know exactly what kind of pain or medical situation requires visiting the emergency room, but what about when it comes to your teeth? If you don’t happen to be a dental professional yourself, it’s not always easy to determine when you’re dealing with an oral health emergency and when you may be able to just wait for your next regular dental check-up. Here’s a quick guide to help you decide:

Emergency Dental Situations

There are certain situations that signal a serious dental issue that needs to be treated as soon as possible. For example, you should seek care from a dental professional urgently if you’re dealing with:

• Severe Oral Bleeding
• Loose Permanent Teeth
• Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth
• Cracked or Broken Tooth
• Broken Dental Appliance
• Severe Toothache
• Dental Infection (may manifest itself as facial or gum swelling, pain in the affected area, a fever, and the presence of pus)

Check with Your Dentist

Still in doubt about whether you have a real dental emergency on your hands? The safest bet in determining if you’re experiencing a dental emergency is to just reach out to your dentist! You can tell them your symptoms over the phone and they’ll let you know whether you should come in for immediate treatment or what steps you can take until you can get a dental appointment.

Emergency Dentistry at Optima Dental Spa

Optima Dental Spa offers a comprehensive range of dental services, including emergency dentistry. If you’d like to learn more about various dental emergencies, check out our page devoted to urgent dental care.

Optima Dental Spa has locations across Oregon and Washington in Portland’s Pearl District, Lake Oswego, Bellevue, and Gig Harbor, so we recommend saving the number of your closest practice and keeping it somewhere easily accessible in case you encounter a dental emergency.

Categorised in: Dental Emergency, Emergency Dentist