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What Counts As A Dental Emergency in Urbandale, IA?
Having a dental emergency in Urbandale can be immensely stressful and painful. Whatever the situation, you deserve to have the situation handled by a professional as soon as possible. However, sometimes what might seem like an emergency can turn out to be a routine ache or pain. No matter how severe your dental emergency is, here at Cedar Ridge Esthetic and Family Dentistry, we are here to answer your questions and soothe your worried mind.
When You Should Contact Us Immediately
If you are concerned about your teeth and feel that something is wrong, it might be a dental emergency. On the other hand, you may be getting unnecessarily worried over a small problem that we can easily treat.
Here is a list of emergency situations which require urgent care.
1. Acute, severe and/or immediate pain.
If you suddenly experience severe stabbing pain in your teeth or a singular tooth, which seems to come out of nowhere and persists for a number of hours, you might be experiencing a dental emergency. The pain could be due to an infection in your gum, a broken tooth or something else entirely. If the pain is so great that you cannot function in your day to day life and feel nauseous or dizzy, it is probably an emergency.
2. Excessive bleeding.
Everyone experiences a small amount of bleeding once in a while. For example, if you do not regularly floss your teeth, you might experience a small amount of bleeding when you do it for the first time in a while. This is due to plaque buildup and irritation of the gums. This is not an emergency.
However, if your teeth or tooth is suddenly bleeding excessively, it’s likely your tooth is broken, has been torn from the gum, or something similar. Usually this kind of bleeding is accompanied by pain too.
3. Accidents and impact
Of course, if you are involved in an accident in which your teeth are broken, cracked, or smashed out altogether, you must seek immediate emergency dental care. These sorts of situations can occur from car accidents, sporting accidents, falls or attacks.
4. Infections or Abscesses
Some infections, if they are not severe, can wait a day or two to be checked out. However if left untreated for too long, a small tooth or gum infection can spread and become a serious situation that can even be life threatening.
Signs of an emergency tooth infection which has spread are:
- A visibly swollen gum, cheek or entire face
- Unbearable pain
- A high fever, sweats or chills
- Nausea, vomiting and stomach pain
- Increased heart rate
- Extreme dehydration
Steps To Take
If you are wondering whether your situation is a dental emergency in Urbandale, ask yourself if this problem can wait a few days. Examples of this are a cracked or chipped tooth, or an aesthetic problem like a veneer falling off.
If your situation is a dental emergency in Urbandale, IA, do not hesitate to contact us immediately. If you experience the symptoms of a spread infection listed above, visit the emergency room without delay.