When to Get Help: Recognizing Urgent Dental Emergencies

Dental pain is no joke; it means business. That’s why our Jacksonville and Live Oak, FL, same-day emergency dentists urge you to visit one of our offices if you notice something doesn’t feel right or you just experienced an oral injury. We’ll then prescribe appropriate treatment based on your particular dental emergency.

Here are 4 common dental emergencies that demand attention immediately if you want to maintain a healthy smile.

Don’t Wait to Seek Treatment For:

1. Prolonged & Severe Toothaches

You may experience a toothache for a number of reasons. However, the most common reason for a toothache is decay. The bacteria that live inside your mouth love to eat any sugar particles left behind on your teeth and gums. If left unchecked, this bacteria can harden into tartar and increase your risk of cavities, gum disease, and other oral health issues.

You may also experience a toothache if you have undiagnosed bruxism. Bruxism is a condition that causes you to grind and clench your teeth at night, often without your knowledge. Please let our team know if you’re also experiencing jaw pain, ear pain, headaches, and other symptoms of bruxism as we can create a custom night guard for you to wear.

2. Teeth That Are Badly Chipped or Cracked

Does your tooth have a large chip or crack? If so, it’s time to schedule an appointment with one of our emergency dentists. The sooner we’re able to repair your tooth, the less likely bacteria will be able to reach the dental pulp inside. Once the innermost chamber of your tooth is infected, you may need an emergency root canal to avoid extraction.

If your tooth isn’t infected yet, our dentists may recommend a dental crown. A dental crown is like a cap that fits over your tooth, restoring its full strength, health, and appearance.

3. A Painful Dental Abscess

A dental abscess is a pocket of pus in a tooth caused by an infection. This infection can result from an ignored cavity, injury, or old dental work. If a dental abscess is left untreated, it can result in often life-threatening complications.

Once you’re in our care, we can drain the abscess to rid the infection. Your tooth can be saved with a root canal but if the situation is too severe, the tooth will unfortunately need to be pulled. Try swishing with a mild salt water solution (½ teaspoon of table salt in 8 ounces of water) at home while you wait to be seen as this will ease the pain and draw the pus toward the surface.

4. Knocked-Out Teeth

You may lose a tooth if you get hit in the mouth. That’s why we always recommend that athletes who play contact sports wear a custom mouth guard to protect their teeth.

For a knocked-out tooth, it’s important that you contact one of our offices right away. In general, we have the best chance of reimplanting your tooth if we see you within 30 minutes of the accident.

Follow these quick instructions for a knocked-out tooth:

1. Pick up the tooth by the crown, NOT the root. Otherwise, you risk damaging the cells needed for reimplantation.
2. If the tooth is covered in dirt, gently rinse it off with running water. Do NOT dry the tooth, scrub the tooth, or use soap.
3. If possible, place the tooth back in its socket and bite down gently to hold it in place. Otherwise, you may hold the tooth inside your cheek or submerge it in a container of milk to keep it moist.
4. Seek urgent dental care and call Higgins & White Dentistry to let us know you’re coming.

The sooner you seek urgent dental care, the less likely you’ll need to replace the tooth with an implant, bridge, or partial denture.

We’ll Help Save Your Smile

Our emergency dentists in Jacksonville and Live Oak, FL, are here to get the job done when your smile is in jeopardy. Call one of our Higgins & White Dentistry locations today if your situation is serious or request an appointment online for a less pressing issue.