When to Call the Emergency Dentist

Sometimes it’s hard to determine when to go see a dentist or when to just let discomfort or pain in a tooth wait till the next appointment. Usually, you won’t know exactly what’s wrong with that specific tooth until the dentist looks at it and gives you the report. However, if the pain ever turns into something unbearable, contact your emergency dentist right away to get the next available appointment.

Why Does My Tooth/Teeth Hurt?

It’s not possible to determine the reason a tooth hurts just by looking at it, but there could be many reasons your tooth is hurting, including bacterial infections, grinding your teeth (generally while asleep or stressed), gum disease, injuries, cracked/broken teeth, or cavities.

Other Conditions Can Cause Toothaches

• Other conditions like toothaches can be caused by pain that radiates through the mouth and jaw. Sinus infections and other sinus problems can also cause there to feel like there is pain in your teeth, even though there may be nothing wrong with your teeth. In some cases, conditions like angina or a heart attack can also cause pain throughout the body, including in the mouth.
• Dry sockets after you have your wisdom teeth out is extracted can occur, and cause it to make the teeth feel like they are in pain even if they are not. It’s the tissue underneath where the tooth was extracted from. Call an emergency dentist if you feel like you may have a dry socket before the condition gets worse.
• Infections can cause drainage around the tooth. Signs of infections can include swelling in your face by the site of the infection and even low-grade fevers. Some dental infections may not cause these low-grade fevers, however, so don’t hesitate to call the dentist even if you don’t have a fever.
• Injuries can cause teeth to be knocked loose or out. Tooth loss is considered an emergency, so don’t hesitate to call the after-hours line if you lose any of your teeth through any sort of injury from a sports injury to a car wreck or back.
• Wisdom teeth being removed can also cause problems sometimes such as inflammation, gum pain, and even infections of the gum tissue or site around where the extracted tooth was. Antibiotics may be able to treat the infection and keep it from getting into other parts of the body. However, if you wait till the pain is unbearable, something like a root canal may be required to fix up the deeper rotting in the tooth, and in the worst cases, it can require removal of the tooth.
• If you have difficulty swallowing or breathing with swelling around the infection site you need to go see your dentist even sooner. Your dentist will want to get X-rays and examine the area to determine the best plan for treating your tooth.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about emergency dentistry, book your appointment here or call us 909-465-1016. The Ramona Dentistry Team “Where Family Comes First”