What is a Dental Emergency?

3D rendering of a fractured toothNo one wants to overreact to a medical problem, but you don’t want to under-react. Here is some information that should help determine what constitutes a true dental emergency and what you should do about it. Whether you go to an ER, urgent care, or some other non-dental medical provider until you can get into SoBeDentist™, you should know what to expect with specific true dental emergencies.

You likely need medical attention if:

  • You’ve had a significant fracture in a tooth
  • You can’t stop the bleeding in your mouth
  • If you have a fever caused by an abscessed tooth
  • You have unrelenting pain in or around a tooth
  • You’ve suffered a blow to the head, face, or neck area and could have a concussion in addition to any dental problem you’re facing

Although emergency departments are not equipped for dental emergencies like dental offices are, those medical professionals can treat bleeding, infection, and fractures very well, and they will be able to advise you of what they’ve found and what you may need to tell your Miami Beach dentist.

Dental Emergencies Dr. Maria Escoto Should Evaluate

Several other dental issues can likely wait until your family dentist can examine you.

Broken/fractured tooth: If you notice a fractured or broken tooth, treat it as soon as possible to avoid increased pain or long-term dental damage. Keep the tooth’s sharp edges covered with an OTC dental wax until your appointment to prevent the tooth’s sharp edges from cutting you.

Severe tooth pain: Tooth pain accompanied by fever, an earache, or other unusual symptoms could indicate a severe problem your dentist must address.

Tooth knocked out of socket: Please try to keep any tooth knocked out and get to your office as soon as possible. The sooner we treat you, the more likely we can salvage the tooth.

Lost/loose filling: Pain is a sign of a loose or lost filling, but we can’t help you until we can ascertain that your filling is the problem.

Damaged/lost crowns and other restorations: Damaged crowns and other restorations can leave your teeth susceptible to further dental damage. We get phone calls often from patients who have lost a crown over the weekend or during a holiday.

Tooth sensitivity: Extremely sensitive teeth may indicate a severe dental problem, so if you’re experiencing this, please contact Dr. Escoto for an evaluation.

Cavity: You may not even know you have a cavity, but unrelenting tooth pain is often a sign of a cavity. Dr. Escoto can fill a cavity in no time at all.

Bruxism: If you’ve had an especially stressful weekend and know you’ve been grinding and clenching your teeth (bruxism), please contact Dr. Escoto so she may evaluate any worn teeth and plan a course of treatment for you as soon as possible.

Pressure in sinuses: While sinus pressure is not always an indicator of a dental problem, it can be. An infection or impacted tooth may be causing unrelenting sinus pressure and pain.

Orthodontic pain: While mild discomfort is typical with traditional metal braces, you should not experience constant pain. Please contact us during regular business hours if your orthodontic pain becomes unmanageable.

Call Your Miami Beach Dentist for Dental Emergencies 

Please call SoBeDentist ™ at the first sign of an emergent dental problem at (305) 535-2225. Our Miami Beach dentists and dental team will do everything in our power to get you into our office as soon as possible.

With Dr. Maria Escoto and oral surgeon Alberto Mantovani here to help you, your dental emergency can be resolved in our office, saving you the cost of an urgent care or emergency department that may not have the dental equipment necessary to fix your problem permanently. Temporary fixes are okay, but we want to resolve your dental emergency fully and do everything possible to ensure it doesn’t happen again.