Is a Broken Tooth an Emergency?

A broken tooth is not really an emergency. In most situations, you can wait for your regular scheduled dental appointment for the treatment of a mild toothache or a little tooth sensitivity. An over-the-counter pain reliever will provide some beneficial relief until your dentist is able to examine you. It can be confusing as to what literally necessitates an emergency dental visit. A broken tooth can fall into this category, and by assessing the following suggestions, it might help you determine whether prompt emergency attention is required in your situation.

Understanding What is a Dental Emergency

A dental emergency is a condition that demands immediate attention from a medical professional. In numerous cases, this means contacting your dentist to schedule an urgent appointment. In some situations, it may be essential to go to an urgent care facility or a hospital emergency room. These options provide you with critical immediate medical treatment until your dentist can see you.

How Do You Know When to Seek Emergency Treatment?

A broken tooth often justifies an urgent visit to your dentist. A broken tooth is a quite common and frequent dental emergency. It is also unfortunately quite common to experience a broken tooth from participating in a contact sport, suffering from an accidental fall, or even biting into some hard food. Even though a broken tooth can be a serious matter, there are still very distinct types of broken teeth that are considered non-emergency.

A minor tooth crack, fracture, or chipped tooth does not really require an emergency visit to either your dentist or a medical facility. There is no direct threat to your overall health. In this case, schedule a dental appointment as soon as possible.

Emergency dental care, though, is indeed necessary for a significantly broken tooth. A serious fracture occurs when a large chunk of the tooth has completely broken off. This situation can be accompanied by some intense discomfort or pain. If this is the case, seeking out immediate medical attention is essential.

Knowing Where to Go for a Dental Emergency

You can receive the necessary medical treatment even though your dentist is not present. Your dentist may schedule some office time regularly to treat pending emergencies. Call your dentist first or another local dentist to investigate emergency availability. There is always a good chance the office can work on your emergency on the same day you broke your tooth.

Of course, a broken tooth never occurs at a convenient time. A broken tooth could happen at night, on a remarkably busy weekend, or even on a holiday. Under all circumstances, always call your dental office, no matter the time of day. Often, there is an emergency number provided, which will also give you pre-recorded instructions on how to manage your dental emergency.