A dental emergency can strike anywhere, at any time. Whether it’s a broken tooth during a sporting event or severe toothache—dental emergencies are an inconvenience and need immediate attention.
Dental emergencies can happen at any place, anytime—for various reasons.Some of the signs that may indicate you need emergency dental care include things like:
These signs will help you determine whether your case is truly considered a dental emergency or if an over-the-counter pain reliever like Tylenol can help you get by until the next available appointment with your dentist.
As hard as it might sound, the best thing you can do when you’re experiencing a dental emergency is to remain calm, and this will help you to think clearly and determine what the best next step is for your situation.
Once you’ve identified that you are in a dental emergency, it’s time to act. Depending on the type of emergency, you will either contact an emergency dentist or go directly to the hospital.
Knowing which route to take will depend on the emergency you’re experiencing.
Hospital visits are usually a last resort, but they are the best option in some situations. The following are dental emergencies that may warrant a trip to the hospital and could potentially be life-threatening:
An abscess or infection that is extremely swollen and impacting breathing or swallowing
If your dental emergency isn’t life-threatening, it’s best to contact an emergency dentist. The previous examples like a toothache or cracked tooth, would fall under this type of emergency.
Dental emergencies don’t work on the same schedule as your dentist.
You could wake up in the middle of the night with throbbing pain or break a tooth at lunch on a Saturday afternoon — dental emergencies can strike at any time.
This means that you might not be able to simply call your general dentist and head into the office for a check-up an hour later.
Luckily, some dental offices that offer emergency care have after-hours options for these scenarios. While they may not answer immediately, you can leave a message to let the dentist know about the problem you are experiencing, and they will call you back as soon as possible.
They will then set up a time for you to come into their office for a dental check-up and address your emergency concerns.
Depending on how your dentist handles emergencies, they may have you come into the office off-hours or on weekends. If your dentist cannot see you until regular business hours, they can advise you on managing and relieving pain until they can get you into the office.
Our emergency dental services, including emergency tooth extractions, are available to residents in and around Austin, TX, ensuring quality care when you need it most.
(737) 747-4646