Emergency!!
The last thing you want to do is go to the ER at the hospital for any emergency, but when the pain or problem is in your mouth, ER’s aren’t always the best place to go. Our dentists are trained to deal with dental emergencies in Stamford. We understand there are times when you may need to get care immediately and we are ready.
Conditions:
- A Cracked or chipped tooth
- Broken teeth
- Loose tooth or missing tooth
- Accident or trauma
- Emergency root canal
- Tooth extraction
- Dental abscess or ruptured dental (tooth) abscess
- Damaged dental restorations
- Denture repair
- Loose or broken braces wires
- Broken or injured jaw
- Toothache
- Ongoing or severe gum, tongue, cheek, or lip bleeding
- Other severe dental infections or tooth pain
All of these conditions may require an emergency dental visit.
Toothaches are particularly touchy. Generally toothaches that can be dealt with using over the counter medications, aren’t emergency situations. You may want to contact your dentist in Stamford to see if you can make a regular appointment to check that nothing has been chipped or cracked.
However, if a toothache persists for more than a few days or becomes increasingly more severe, if it is accompanied by inflammation, swelling, bleeding or if it progresses to your jaw, ear or cheek, you need to call the dentist. And any time that it is accompanied with a fever or an earache . . . you need to call the dentist in Stamford.
Likewise, some people experience bleeding gums and mouth sores, particularly if you have braces, dentures, or gum disease. As long as the bleeding is not excessive and doesn’t worsen, a regular visit to the dentist should be fine.
The rule of thumb is a dental emergency is a condition that gets notably worse and won’t be resolved without immediate intervention.
Emergency Room
There are incidents that require immediate attention that may not allow for you to wait for the dentist’s office to get you in.
- Severe pain and heavy, continuous bleeding in or around the mouth
- Critical injuries to the face, mouth, or teeth will don’t stop bleeding
- Serious facial or dental injuries caused by a car accident (or similar)
- Broken facial bones
- Swelling that is putting pressure on the airway.
These are all conditions that require the ER.
Preparation and Prevention
We can’t say it enough. The best prevention is always good oral hygiene, regular cleanings and visits to the dentist. But we also understand that accidents occur. Something as simple as a carrot bitten into the wrong way can cause a chip in a tooth that gives you severe pain all the way down to your toes.
Be prepared. A small emergency dental kit is key to getting the situation taken care of.
Kit:
- Small container with a lid to hold a tooth that may have gotten knocked out
- Acetaminophen (not aspirin or ibuprofen because they can act as a blood thinner and cause excessive bleeding during a dental emergency).
- Gauze
- Handkerchief
If your dentist tells you to come in for an emergency appointment there may be some things your dentist asks you to do to prepare. They might ask you to rinse your mouth with warm water, possibly warm salt water, apply pressure to the affected or injured area to reduce bleeding and swelling, and apply a cold compress to the injured area in 20-minute intervals until you can get to the office. This will help minimize swelling and bleeding.
If any of this sounds like you, may have an Emergency! Call us at (203) 324-7777 and we will get you in the office. We are here to help!