What Is a Dental Emergency? A Complete Guide

Emergency dental care is there to support you when you are in pain or you have an urgent dental issue. Anyone can call a dentist to ask for an emergency dental appointment, and you don’t have to prove anything to us. If you want to see a dentist on the same day, then we’ll make time for you.

Ignoring dental issues won’t make them go away. In fact, dental issues that are ignored might stop hurting for a little while, but they will nearly always come back, and the second time is often much worse. This is why we recommend seeing a dentist at the first sign of an issue.

What counts as a dental emergency?

If you’re in pain or have an issue with your teeth or gums, we can help you to decide if this is an emergency, or if you can wait for a routine appointment.

Any dental pain should be seen urgently. Pain is a sign that there is an infection or inflammation somewhere in your mouth. The only exception would be if you are in pain due to an ulcer or if you have a known cut in your mouth. These will usually heal on their own.

If it hurts to bite down, or if you’re experiencing pain when you brush your teeth, this could indicate that you have a dental infection. We’d recommend seeing a dentist as quickly as possible so that the initial infection doesn’t spread to the tooth root.

If you have swelling in your gums, cheeks, face, neck or jaw, then you should see an emergency dentist. Even without pain, swelling is a sign that something is amiss. If the swelling makes it difficult to breathe or swallow, call 999 or visit A&E, as this is a medical emergency.

If you’ve knocked out a tooth, or if a tooth has become dislodged, you should try to see a dentist as quickly as possible. If you can save the tooth and keep it moist and clean in a small tub of milk, and then see a dentist within an hour, there is a chance we can save the tooth.

If you have lost a filling, crown, bridge, veneer or other restoration and have managed to save this, then you should visit a dentist as soon as possible to have this reattached. The underlying tooth will be vulnerable to damage in the meantime.

If you have chipped a tooth and the remaining tooth is very sharp, see a dentist as soon as possible. The nerve may have been exposed, which can be very painful. There’s also a risk of cutting your tongue and cheeks repeatedly on the sharp edge.

If you have bleeding following a dental procedure and you cannot control this by biting down onto a piece of gauze, then you should visit an emergency dentist.

If you have a sore in your mouth that hasn’t healed after three weeks, then you should visit a dentist for your own peace of mind. This could be a sign of oral cancer, so it’s important to get this checked as soon as possible.

As you can see, there are a wide range of situations that would warrant urgent care. We only ask that patients don’t use emergency appointment slots for routine checkups or for cosmetic dentistry consultations.

What happens during an emergency dental appointment?

The purpose of an emergency dental appointment is to quickly diagnose the issue and provide a solution that will help to control your symptoms.

We’ll start with a brief patient history if you aren’t already registered with us. Next, we’ll inspect your teeth and gums for any obvious signs. We might take X-rays if we need a better look at the underlying structures.

We’ll then create a treatment plan that will help to address your discomfort. This might include treatment on the same day, such as a filling or the first stage of a root canal. For any follow-up treatment, we’ll invite you to book a routine appointment.

An emergency dental appointment is not the same as a routine checkup, as we’ll only address the issue that is causing you pain or discomfort. You may want to book a follow-up appointment at a later date if you are behind with your routine checkups. This can help to stop small issues before they become much more serious.

How to book an emergency dental appointment

Emergency appointments are released every morning on a first-come, first-served basis. To secure an appointment, call the practice first thing in the morning and ask for a same-day appointment.

When Should You See an Emergency Dentist?

Not sure when you should see an emergency dentist? Read our guide about when should you see an emergency dentist or call Benfleet Dental Centre today.