You’re catching up with some old friends and munching on a bowl of trail mix that one of them left out. Everything is going great until you hear a loud CRUNCH! A second later, you feel an intense pain in your tooth. You spit out your food into your hand and see that part of your tooth has broken off! What do you do? Should you visit the ER or your emergency dentist in Greenwood? Read on to learn the answer.
What Is a Dental Emergency?
A dental emergency is any urgent dental situation that may damage your teeth and gums and requires immediate attention. Common dental emergencies include:
- Knocked-out tooth
- Cracked or chipped tooth
- Damage to dentures, fillings, crowns, or other restorations
- Severe toothache that may necessitate root canal therapy
- Jaw pain
- Lacerations to soft tissue in the mouth
Why Should You Go to Your Dentist Instead of the ER?
More and more people are going to the ER for oral health issues rather than their dentist. This creates overcrowding and longer wait times for those with urgent health needs. Oftentimes patients with dental problems are simply given pain medication and then told to visit their dentist anyway. You might as well cut out the middleman and head straight to your dentist in Greenwood.
While emergency rooms are trained to handle a wide variety of physical ailments, they lack the precise expertise to deal with dental issues such as a knocked-out or broken tooth. This is why it’s crucial to visit your dentist to make sure the problem gets taken care of. For example, if you have a knocked-out tooth, an emergency room doctor will very likely not be able to successfully reattach it in time to save the tooth, while your emergency dentist will.
How Can You Prevent Dental Emergencies?
No emergency is 100 percent avoidable, but there are a few things you can do to decrease your risk, such as:
- Wearing a mouthguard during physical activities like sports
- Avoiding chewing on hard foods or candies
- Brushing your teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste and a brush with soft bristles
- Flossing between your teeth every day
- Visiting your dentist at least twice a year for a checkup and cleaning
The next time you have an urgent dental situation, be sure to call your emergency dentist. It will save you time and you will get significantly better treatment.
About the Practice
If you call Tylan Creek Family Dentistry with a dental emergency, our team will do everything we can to see you the same day. In the meantime, we can talk you through pain management and first aid over the phone so there’s no need to worry. If you have an emergency, don’t hesitate to contact us at (864)-407-4455.