Dental Emergencies

Dental emergencies can be a very disruptive occurrence. Quite in addition to the pain that is often involved with them, they can also put one at risk of serious infection if not handled quickly.

An URGENT emergency would be one which is causing extreme pain or is bleeding and does not clot after a short while. IF you cannot get to a dentist the same day to get this addressed, it might be best to go to a medical emergency room to get the pain immediately alleviated and something done to stop the bleeding. But emergency room personnel cannot perform extractions as only a dentist is licensed to do so, and only the dentist can treat the damage that is connected to the emergency.

Getting to the dentist the same day is always recommended, and you should only go to the emergency room if no other solution is available, and only for extreme situations as above. The guiding rule is “get to the dentist as soon as possible”.

Why? Pain, bleeding, abscesses and other discomforts are evidence of a basic oral health problem that can get worse rapidly if not treated fast. For instance, infections in the mouth can travel through the bloodstream to other parts of the body and cause further disruptions such as infections, fever, and extended physical pain. This can even be true for a tooth that has broken or a crown that has fallen off, as the underlying tissues are exposed and can be compromised.

Things that constitute dental emergencies would include:

  • recurring or chronic pain in your jaw or in your teeth
  • Teeth that have partially broken off, become fractured or have been knocked out completely
  • Infections around your teeth and gums, such as swelling or abscesses
  • Tooth injury that has caused the tooth to become loose (even if it isn’t painful, it is in danger of being lost)
  • Dental crowns or bridges coming loose or falling off. Besides looking awkward and making it hard to chew, your ground-down teeth are exposed and this can quickly lead to pain and infection

Sometimes you can’t get to the dentist within an hour, or maybe it happens at night and you can’t be fit in until the next morning. There are some things you can and should do to alleviate the pain and preserve your mouth and teeth for when you get into the dental chair. We list the things you can do to take care of the immediate scene before you see us on our Emergency Dental Care page. You can also click on the following link for general instructions:

http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/handling-dental-emergencies

Dr. Khetani is a Santa Clara dentist who has extensive experience treating emergency situations. You should not hesitate to call our office if you are in pain or have some other situation which requires immediate attention. She is even open Saturdays to accommodate patients who just cannot make it during the week.

Dr. Khetani does not want you to have financial worries when plagued with a dental emergency, so she offers a free dental emergency consultation which includes digital X-rays and a full examination to assess the problem. She will give you her findings and fully discuss your treatment options, and of course will get you out of pain as an immediate first action.