Dental Emergencies: What Qualifies as a Dental Emergency and What to Do

by | Dec 18, 2019 | Dental Care

Your everyday dentist is an important part of your medical team who helps ensure that your teeth and gums are healthy and attractive. Sometimes, you will find yourself needing the care of an emergency dentist in Chicago when urgent treatment is needed.

Oral Infection

A serious oral infection is one of the most common reasons that people need emergency dental care. Some infections like gingivitis or cold sores require medical treatment, just not emergency treatment. If you have swelling under your mouth or around your jawline and related difficulty in swallowing or breathing, this may be an indication that you have a serious infection occurring on the floor of your mouth, under your tongue. This means that you need to contact an Dental Emergency Arlington right away to prevent bacteria from traveling from your mouth to tissues around your heart.

Cracked, Chipped, or Fractured Teeth

Having a fractured or cracked tooth is a classic dental emergency. This type of situation can lead to damage on the interior of the tooth. In some cases, a severe fracture means that the tooth cannot be saved.

If you should should suffer a fractured tooth, contact your emergency dentist in Chicago immediately and rinse your mouth out with warm water. You can also apply a cold compress to alleviate swelling if the fracture is due to facial trauma.

What is a dental emergency?

Teeth that have become suddenly sensitive, or a minor toothache, may not represent dental emergencies, but will need to be treated eventually. Dental emergencies are typically infections and fractures that lead to sudden pain or sensitivity to extreme temperatures.

If you require the care of an emergency dentist, please contact Chicago Smile Design right away. You can also contact us to schedule all of your regular dental appointments.

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