Not all dental issues become apparent during standard business hours. For this reason, we provide emergency dentistry options that include evenings and weekends. Our goal is to ensure that none of our patients have to deal with oral pain any longer than necessary.
Understanding What Constitutes a Dental Emergency
While it’s great that we provide 24/7 dentistry solutions, some people are unclear on what constitutes a dental emergency. It’s any situation that requires immediate attention in order to prevent more damage and to get relief from pain.
Some examples of dental emergencies include damage to the teeth and gums as the result of an accident or fall. If a tooth is knocked out, there’s a limited amount of time to successfully reseat it in the socket. Infections that aren’t getting better and are causing increased amounts of pain also need the immediate attention of an emergency dentist Westfield rather than waiting until the next business day.
There is no comprehensive list that draws a distinction between what is classed as a dental emergency and what is routine dental care. Call us if there’s any doubt in your mind and tell us what you are experiencing. We’ll ask a few more questions, help determine if the situation calls for immediate care, and provide you with instructions on what to do next.
Preparing to Seek Emergency Help
After you contact us, we will arrange to see you as quickly as possible. In the interim, our team may provide some instructions on what you can do while on the way to us. Those instructions are designed to improve the odds of successfully resolving whatever damage has taken place.
For example, an emergency dentist in Westfield NJ will provide instructions on how to care for a dislodged tooth while you’re on the way for help. The goal is twofold: avoid any additional damage to the tooth, and increase the odds that it will remain viable and can be returned to the socket.
Depending on the nature of the emergency, our team may provide other suggestions designed to reduce the immediate pain. Once you arrive and the examination is complete, we will know more about what we can do for you.
The Consequences of Choosing to Wait
While emergency dentists in Westfield NJ understand that some people will try to delay dental care until normal hours of operation, most urge patients to make contact and describe their conditions and symptoms. The reason is that delaying treatment could lead to serious complications.
Pain that nothing seems to help will not get better on its own. In fact, it may get worse before the next business day. When nothing you’ve tried makes any difference, do not hesitate to seek emergency dentistry; contact us at once.
Delaying emergency dental care after an accident increases the chances of infection. It may also prevent treatments that help loose teeth resettle into the gum properly. In the case of a tooth that’s knocked out, that tooth may die if you wait too long to seek treatment.
Overall, the outcome of not seeking emergency dental care when it’s needed could mean permanent damage to your dental health. At best, the delay will mean you will need more intensive treatment in order to recover from whatever has taken place.
Call us now if you’ve been in an accident that has affected your teeth and gums in any way. The same is true if you have dental pain that is not going away. Tell us what’s happening and we can advise you of what to do next. Together, we can come up with a solution that ensures you can overcome the problem and once again enjoy excellent dental health.
For more information, please call your Westfield emergency dentist today.