Are You Experiencing a Dental Emergency? Here’s What You Need to Know

Dental emergencies can happen anytime, day or night. Trauma to the mouth, resulting in broken or missing teeth, injury to the gums, excessive bleeding, pain, and more can constitute a dental emergency. If you’ve suffered an injury to your teeth, jaw, or gums, or if you’re experiencing unbearable pain that you can’t seem to control, you need the attention of a dentist right away.

At Healthy Smile Dental in Woodridge, Illinois, we address dental emergencies with the utmost care and compassion. Our team of professionals, led by Hannah Baek, DDS, understands the need for immediate attention when it comes to your dental emergency. That’s why we’re proud to offer our patients, and all those in the Woodridge area, urgent dental care services.

Is it a dental emergency?

Sometimes your dental emergency leaves no room for doubt. Maybe a wild pitch at your company softball game loosened or knocked out a tooth. Or, a fender bender has thrown you, face first, into the dashboard, with your teeth and jaw taking the brunt of the impact. Or maybe you have relentless tooth pain, a fever of 101 F, and you know it’s an infection. These events, or something similar, are pretty clear-cut dental emergencies.

But, what if the “gray area” is dental issues? Maybe you’re experiencing some serious tooth pain, but no fever. Or you believe the damage you suffered in a slip and fall is minor, maybe a crack or chip in your tooth. Should you wait until the office opens in the morning? 

Anytime you take a blow to your mouth, are bleeding, or are in serious pain, you need to contact our office immediately. We provide urgent care and guide you through your dental emergency, even if you think it’s not all that urgent. 

Whenever your mouth experiences trauma, there’s a chance the damage isn’t noticeable to the naked eye — there could be cracks and breaks below the gum line, for instance. Bleeding may resolve itself for a bit, then start up again, You may even have suffered damage to your jaw, or the soft tissue of your gums and mouth, and not be aware.

Remain calm and do this

It can be a challenge to remain calm in the event of an emergency. However, it’s to your benefit to do so. If you’ve been in a car accident, make sure you’ve called 911 and are out of harm’s way before reaching out to us. Once that’s done, there are steps you can take to aid our efforts in your care, even before we see you. 

If your tooth has been knocked out

You may be in shock, and probably a great deal of pain, and you’re likely hemorrhaging from the empty tooth socket. If possible, bite down on some clean gauze or cloth to control the bleeding. Take the knocked-out tooth and keep it moist. If possible, place it in the area between your cheek and gum. If you can’t do that, put it in a container with some milk, or cover with your saliva, until you get to our office.

Laceration to the gums, tongue, or soft tissue

The main objective, in this case, is to control the bleeding. Apply pressure and a clean cloth to the area from where you’re bleeding. Keep it there until Dr. Bajaj can assess the damage.

When to go to the hospital

If you've had a serious fall, suffered a blow hard enough to cause a fracture to your jaw, or lost consciousness, go to the closest emergency room. You, or someone with you, can contact Healthy Smile Dental and advise us of the situation. 

If you suspect you have an abscess and are having trouble swallowing or even breathing, go to the ER as soon as possible. These are signs the infection may be spreading to other areas of your body.

Urgent dental care in Woodridge

If you believe you have a dental emergency, don’t put it off until normal business hours. Contact Healthy Smile Dental immediately and allow us to provide the care you need when you need it. For general and cosmetic dental services, call Healthy Smile Dental today to set up an appointment.