What Is the Difference between Emergency Vs. Non-Emergency Dental Care?
Not all dental emergencies are similar because some situations need prompt attention from a dental professional. For example, when you are affected by a toothache, you would be justified if you thought you were dealing with a dental emergency. You undoubtedly would if the toothache didn’t subside for 48 hours and is also accompanied by sensitivity to temperatures and fever.
You can often encounter situations that dentists consider non-emergency cases because although the problem requires treatment from a dentist, you don’t need to rush to an emergency dentist near you for prompt attention. Therefore whenever you are dealing with any dental situation, you must learn to distinguish between problems that need help from an emergency dentist immediately or is a non-emergency situation that can wait until you can see your regular dental care provider.
How to Distinguish between Emergency and Non-emergency Dental Issues
When differentiating between emergency and non-emergency dental situations, you must determine whether you have a severe toothache, dental abscess, loose tooth, knocked out, a broken tooth with a large piece missing, and a tooth with large cracks or chips.
If the dental trauma occurs beyond office hours, your first call should be to the emergency dentistry clinic nearby. If the dentist isn’t available, you receive instructions on the answering machine to reach the dentist to deal with the emergency. The earlier you seek dental treatment for the condition affecting you, the less likely you will need expensive dental treatments later.
Sometimes you might confront a dental situation that requires non-emergency dental care. Problems that need treatment within a day or two include lost fillings, dental crowns, bridges, minor cracks or chips to the tooth, a dull toothache, and any food trapped between the teeth. These are situations that need attention from the dentist in winter haven but are undoubtedly not dental emergencies that need prompt attention.
How to Manage an Excruciating Toothache?
If you have an excruciating toothache that doesn’t subside even after 48 hours, it indicates you probably have a cavity and need help from an emergency dentist to help alleviate the pain and restore the tooth. In addition, you might need a dental filling or a dental crown, depending on the extent of the damage to your tooth. Dentists can complete the dental filling procedure within 30 to 45 minutes, but getting a dental crown will require at least three weeks.
What If You Have a Dental Abscess?
If you have a dental abscess, it indicates deep decay in your tooth has affected its soft center, the dental pulp, and the bacteria from the infection has caused the pimple on your gums. Depending on the severity of the condition, an emergency dentist might suggest a root canal or tooth extraction. Dental abscesses are life-threatening and need prompt treatment from emergency dentists whenever you notice them. Leaving the condition untreated encourages the bacteria to enter your bloodstream and spread throughout your body.
Knocked-out Tooth
You might confront a knocked-out tooth when playing sports, in accidents, or cycling around. In such situations, you must get to a dental professional within 30 minutes. However, you must pick up the knocked-out tooth holding it by the Crown and not the roots. You can gently rinse the tooth in water and try placing it back into its socket. However, if you cannot wrap the tooth in clean gauze and submerge it in a tiny milk container. Your natural tooth will dry out and crack if not maintained in moist conditions. Please do not waste time after collecting your tooth but get to the walk-in dentist near you to have the tooth splinted to the adjacent tooth.
Dental emergencies are challenging to distinguish because they are also accompanied by stress and anxiety. Whenever you confront any dental situation, the trick is to remain calm and think whether the problem needs help right away from an emergency dentist or can wait until you contact your regular dental care provider for assistance.
Whether you have an emergency that needs prompt attention or are dealing with a non-emergency situation, ensure that you get treatment for the problem either from the winter haven dentist or your regular dental care provider because it can mean the difference between saving or losing your tooth.
Winter Haven Dental provides emergency dental services to patients without making them wait in a queue. If you are confronting a dental problem, kindly contact this practice to receive the necessary treatment.