What to Know About Emergency Dental Care
Emergency Dentistry in Waterville & Winthrop, ME
One second you’re playing catch with your kids in the yard and the next you are hunched over in pain from a baseball thrown straight to the mouth. It can be scary to knock out a tooth or have severe oral pain, especially when dentists aren’t open. Delaying seeing your dental professional will only make things worse and more painful. Smile Solutions of Maine is here to provide emergency dental services and other dental needs to the Waterville and Winthrop areas.
What is Emergency Dentistry?
Sometimes the pain is gradual, such as an infection in the gums, and sometimes it’s immediate like an accident that leaves you with a cracked, chipped, or knocked-out tooth. Severe bleeding or trauma to the bones, teeth, or gums requires immediate attention. Anything that is affecting your quality of life means it’s time for urgent dental care.
The Most Common Dental Emergencies
- Severe Toothaches. A lot of us have experience with cavities, feeling a mildly dull and throbbing pain. In this case, it’s not an emergency. However, if that pain becomes throbbing, and you start to feel it in your jaw or start to experience swelling, you will want to reach out to your dentist as soon as possible. Whether it’s from a cracked tooth or tooth decay, this can form a bacterial infection, called an abscess.
- Chipped, Cracked, or Knocked Out Tooth. It happens to the best of us under unpredictable circumstances. If you knock out a tooth completely, it is important to find the tooth and insert it back within an hour. It is possible the tooth can be saved. Cracked teeth can lead to bacterial infections, ultimately causing an abscess.
- Bleeding or Extremely Sore Gums. It’s common to experience some bleeding while flossing. However, if you are experiencing chronic bleeding and pain, it could be signs of infection, gum disease, or other underlying and serious health issues.
Other Urgent Dental Issues
While these may not require immediate dental care, it is still important to seek dental care sooner rather than later. Here are a few examples of dental issues that shouldn’t be ignored.
- Chipped Tooth. While you may hardly even notice the tooth is chipped, it can still cause problems down the road. A chipped tooth can lead to a cracked tooth, which can lead to infections, decay, and/or discomfort. If it’s sharp enough, you may cut the insides of your lip or tongue.
- Lost Fillings. We suggest letting your dentist know right away if you have lost a filling. Depending on their professional opinion, they may want to see you as soon as possible. If the filling is small, it can be fixed during normal business hours, just avoid chewing on that side of your mouth.
- Minor Toothaches. Mild discomfort is not a reason to see your dentist immediately. This can, however, be a sign of a cavity, infection, or a damaged filling. It is still important to get to the dentist when you can instead of waiting until your next check-up.
Contact Us Now
The best way to avoid any dental emergency is to be proactive about your oral care. Routine visits and brushing and flossing daily are all great ways to prevent potential infections and emergency dentistry. Of course, some emergencies are hard to avoid. If you lose a tooth, experience chronic bleeding, or have severe toothaches, immediately reach out to your dentist. This may help you avoid urgent dental treatment such as complete tooth extraction or other health issues. Schedule your emergency dental appointment with Smile Solutions of Maine today.