Can You Go To The ER For Dental Emergencies?
Dental issues can be painful and costly. What makes these problems costly? Studies show that more than a third of the American population lacks quality insurance to cover for their dental needs. With the lack of insurance, most individuals usually wait until the issue escalates to seek medical care. Besides increasing the cost, waiting till the problem becomes serious can also result in a dental emergency. So can you go to ER for dental emergency? Keep reading the article to learn if and when you can visit the ER for a dental emergency.
WHILE YOU CAN VISIT YOUR REGULAR DENTIST TO HELP WITH DENTAL ISSUES, YOU MIGHT GO TO THE ER FOR SOME CASES. WHAT DENTAL EMERGENCIES CAN MAKE YOU VISIT THE ER? YOU CAN GO TO THE ER IF DENTAL EMERGENCIES CAUSE TRAUMA TO THE JAWS, FACE, OR HEAD. BESIDES THESE COMPLICATIONS, EVENTS LIKE ALLERGIES, CHOKING, FALLS, AND ACCIDENTS CAN MAKE YOU GO TO THE ER. ER HELPS YOU FIND IMMEDIATE RELIEF AND PREVENT THE PROBLEM FROM WORSENING.
When Should You Visit the ER For a Dental Emergency?
Dental issues can be complicated and serious at times. Do all issues warrant a visit to the ER? While some problems are critical and require immediate intervention, others can wait for your next appointment. Let’s look at the oral complications that can make you visit the ER:
● Gums that are bleeding continually
● Knocked out or lose a tooth
● Severe injury to your jaw
● Early onset of swelling that affects your vision or breathing
● Extreme sensitivity in your teeth
● Swollen gums resulting from infection or toothache
Experts advise that you visit the ER to avoid these problems getting worse or spreading to other parts of the head. How can you handle the situation? It’s always good to have your dentist’s contacts. Alternatively, you can contact a nearby dentist ASAP.
Can You Visit the Emergency Room to Treat a Toothache?
It’s appropriate to visit an emergency room for your overall oral care. Can toothache make you visit the emergency room? If you’re having dental pain, it’s right to seek emergency treatment. Why should you seek emergency help? The pain can indicate a life-threatening and more serious condition. Thus, it’ll be appropriate to act quickly to prevent the problem from worsening.
How Will the Emergency Room Help with a Tooth Infection?
The emergency room is an important part of the hospital where you may receive immediate and faster help. How will they help you with a tooth infection? Depending on the origin of the issue or infections, physicians at the ER can recommend different treatments. For instance, they can recommend antibiotics and anti-inflammatories to relieve the infection or swelling. Physicians at this unit may prescribe the most effective painkillers for an orofacial trauma or broken tooth.
What are the Dos and Don’ts to Consider When Planning to Visit the ER
While regular oral care is important, emergencies tend to worsen if you don’t seek medical help. You may find it hard to see your dentist when emergencies happen outside office hours. So what will you do? Opting for emergency room treatment remains the best option to get urgent care. Nevertheless, we’ve got various dos and don’ts to consider while considering the visit. These dos and don’ts include:
You can go into the room if:
● You have a toothache that comes with an uncontrollable high fever
● You’re having an uncontrollable bleeding
● Your oral pain is severe and is spreading towards other body parts, like the face, jaws or the eye
● Your condition is worsening 24 hours after taking antibiotics
● You’ve trouble breathing or swallowing food
● You encounter a blow or trauma on the face, resulting in irregularities or dental discomfort
The ER should solemnly remain to deal with life-threatening problems. How will you deal with mild oral complications? You can wait for your regular dentist to help you treat the other issues. What are the non-critical dental emergencies that shouldn’t make you visit the ER?
You can wait for your dentist if:
● You have a dull tooth pain
● Small chip in the mouth or teeth
● You have loose fillings
● Mild sensitivity in your teeth
● You have a slightly fractured tooth
● The pain doesn’t interrupt your routine or daily life
How Can You Avoid Dental Emergencies?
Dental issues account for many cases or sources of trips to the emergency rooms. With the pain and discomfort that come with emergencies, it’s important to adopt strategies to prevent them. What are the best approaches to save yourself from these emergencies? We’ve got various options or strategies you have to follow to spare yourself a trip to the emergency unit. Below are oral care strategies to save yourself from these emergencies:
● When dealing with an existing oral issue, always follow the plan or dosage your dentist recommends. Whether you’re dealing with a major issue like a cavity or a minor complication, it’ll be appropriate to trust the process.
● Enhance and maintain your oral hygiene. For instance, flossing and brushing your teeth twice daily. Besides growing into a habit, keeping a strict oral care routine helps keep the teeth strong and healthy.
● Check what you’re eating. You must be careful with the food you eat. Experts advise against tough, chewy, and hard foods, as they may lodge on the teeth. While brushing can remove dirt, some dirt tends to stick on the surfaces for a long time.
● Invest in rotating or ultrasonic electric toothbrushes. Why are these brushes important? The toothbrushes enhance an advanced cleaning than the traditional ones.
Summing Up
Depending on the severity of the condition, dental emergencies can be very scary. The condition can become more dangerous when they happen outside the official dentist’s working hours. When the problems occur during odd hours, it leaves you wondering if you can seek help at the ER.
You can visit the emergency unit when you have a severe or life-threatening condition that worsens as you keep waiting. For instance severe bleeding, toothache spread to the jaws, neck, etc. With the pain and discomfort that come with oral issues, it’ll be important to take approach measures to prevent the issue.