Looking into your Emergency Dental Care options? Dental emergencies are often scary, and all too many people visit the emergency room as they are not prepared when it comes to how to treat this type of immediate concern. However, it is often best to visit the emergency dentist for emergency dental care as they can offer more specialized treatment promptly.
For life-threatening injuries or injuries that pose a serious threat to your long-term general health, visiting the ER before seeing an emergency dentist may be the best solution. However, the emergency room does not treat dental injuries, so non-life-threatening injuries are often best treated by an emergency dentist as they can treat bleeding, pain, and fix dental concerns.
First and foremost, patients should avoid visiting the ER for emergency dental care simply because emergency room nurses and doctors are not trained on how to treat dental complications such as loose teeth, knocked-out teeth, and gum tissue injuries. Instead, they ensure their patients have pain relief and management of other general health symptoms until the patient can see a dentist for proper dental care. This leads to two different visits to treat the concern, whereas an emergency dentist can manage pain and swelling and provide oral health care.
ER doctors and nurses are trained to manage pain due to injuries. However, oral injuries are somewhat unique and often more complex to diagnose. Improper diagnosis of exactly what the source of pain and other symptoms is can lead to less effective pain relief measures and longer delays until the patient feels better. An emergency dentist can often diagnose the issue faster and more accurately; this allows them to manage the initial symptoms effectively in addition to providing long-term treatment for tooth and gum damage.
If teeth are damaged, missing, or in jeopardy of becoming lost due to an oral health concern (tooth infection, deep dental cavity, etc.), then it is important to visit the emergency dentist promptly. Teeth that are knocked out or loose due to dental trauma can often be repositioned and saved, whereas an ER doctor does not typically know how to handle these concerns.
Patients should do everything possible to prevent a dental injury from occurring. This should include reducing the risk of dental trauma by wearing a mouthguard during physical activity, limiting the consumption of foods and drinks that are high in sugar and alcohol, and practicing good oral hygiene through proper brushing, flossing, and mouthwash use.
Call our emergency dental care team today for prompt treatment after a dental injury or oral health concern. Our team can treat a range of oral health and dental trauma concerns, and we can ensure you get the care you need in a timely manner.
Request an appointment here: https://smilewellsouthbay.com or call SmileWell Family Dentistry & Periodontics at (310) 904-6375 for an appointment in our Torrance office.
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Emergency Dental Care in Torrance, CA.
A tooth abscess is a dental emergency because it has a risk of the infection expanding to other parts of the body. If an abscess spreads to the brain, it can have life-threatening effects.Abscesses can be incredibly painful, and the pain is often accompanied by swelling. The severity of the pain and swelling is often…
Patients who are dealing with severe dental issues may think they should go to the ER for emergency dental care. This, however, is often ill-advised, as it may not be helpful in providing the proper treatments needed and can result in other problems arising.The following are a couple of reasons why patients should not go…
A cracked tooth may be a dental emergency if certain more severe symptoms develop. Although not every cracked tooth requires immediate attention, it is important to understand the more serious symptoms that indicate a cracked tooth is a dental emergency and requires prompt care.If your cracked tooth causes a high level of discomfort or increases…
Wondering when a tooth infection is considered a dental emergency? Read on to find out. This review discusses the situations in which an infected tooth is considered a dental emergency and requires immediate treatment from a dentist.An infected tooth that is not properly treated in a timely manner can lead to some severe issues, including…
Eating with Invisalign ® aligners will be slightly different from your usual routine, but it is entirely manageable with minor adjustments. We often receive questions about eating with Invisalign, so we have answered the most common ones in this review to help you navigate this aspect of your orthodontic treatment. Understanding what patients can and…
When you go to the dentist for your annual dental check-up, your dentist will conduct a thorough examination of your teeth and gums to ensure that they are healthy and free from decay or disease. During this visit, your dentist may use an instrument called a periodontal probe to measure how deep the pockets around…