Pain or obstruction in the teeth or gums is serious and must be treated promptly. The experts at Sanders & Soult Family Dentistry are available to help you. Schedule an appointment for an evaluation or emergency services, including after-hours emergency care. 

Emergency Dental Services 

Oral pain is more confusing than almost any other pain that patients experience. Patients are afraid that they’re overreacting or might brush it off. Most patients don’t know whether their dental office provides emergency services. 

Toughing out the pain can lead to further complications. The presence of pain is not a reliable indicator of when to seek emergency oral care.

Statistics show that of the people who seek emergency care services for oral pain or damage, almost 100% of them involve situations that emergency dental services or an appointment with their dentist could have resolved. These options are cheaper than emergency room visits and paid for through health insurance. Additionally, 88% of those cases resulted from poor oral hygiene and were preventable. 

Handling Common Pain Issues

Common oral issues may seem like emergencies, although the pain is controllable at home until an appointment is available.

• Do not attempt to handle abscesses at home. Continue standard oral hygiene and make an appointment.

• Pericoronitis is swelling around the wisdom teeth. Rinsing and oral care are sufficient for localized swelling. Schedule an appointment if the swelling spreads.

• If experiencing bleeding or swollen gums, be sure to drink fluids, avoid lying on your back, and schedule an appointment as soon as possible.

• Over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication is sufficient to handle common toothaches until evaluated by a dentist.

• Petroleum jelly is a temporary fix for loose fillings or crowns until evaluated.

• Emergency treatment isn’t needed if a tooth becomes fractured, chipped, or cracked without pain. Contact your local dentist for a plan of action.

• If a tooth becomes displaced, take extreme care not to destroy the roots. Salvaging the tooth is possible if care is received quickly. If a visit to an emergency care dentist is not possible, visit an emergency room or urgent care.

The Basics

Contact your local dentist if what you are experiencing doesn’t fit into one of these categories. Basic action plans include:

• Rinsing the infection or injury with hot water
• Applying gentle pressure to stop bleeding
• Alternating cold compresses to reduce swelling and slow bleeding

If the oral injury involves a broken jaw or bleeding that will not stop, seek emergency care.  

If you still aren’t sure what to do, the safest practice is to call the dental team of Sanders & Soult Family Dentistry at (303) 337-2794 for advice today.