Emergency Dentistry in Burtonsville, MD

What is a dental emergency?

Dental emergencies include severe toothaches, chipped or cracked teeth, loose or lost restorations, and knocked-out teeth. About 22% of people report oral pain within six months.

To assess whether your child’s issue is urgent, ask:

• Are you in severe pain or swollen?
• Is the toothache constant and intense?
• Do you have a loose or missing tooth?
• Is there swelling in your face or cheeks with a toothache?
• Are you extremely sensitive to hot or cold?
• Is there bleeding that won’t stop?
• Was your jaw injured?

Any condition needing immediate care to stop bleeding, relieve pain or save a tooth—especially signs of serious infection—should be treated as an emergency.

What is not a dental emergency?

If the problem can be taken care of yourself for a few days without seeing your dentist, it likely isn’t a dental emergency. For example, a chipped or cracked tooth is only an emergency if the fracture is painful or has left you with trauma inside your mouth. If you have lost a tooth or filling, you can wait a few days to see your dentist.

What’s the best way to handle a dental emergency?

In a dental emergency, contact your dentist first—go to the ER only if it’s severe.

To manage pain or prevent further damage, you can:

• Rinse with warm salt water.
• Place a knocked-out tooth in milk.
• Floss to relieve gum pressure.
• Apply a cold compress.
• Rinse with diluted hydrogen peroxide.
• Take over-the-counter pain relievers.