What is a Dental Emergency?

Severe Toothache

Don’t ignore a toothache! Pain is your body’s way of letting you know something is wrong.

Often a severe toothache indicates a deeper underlying problem. For example, you may have an infected tooth that needs an emergency root canal. That’s why it’s important that you call our office as soon as possible for a severe toothache.

While a mild toothache can wait a few days, a severe toothache needs immediate attention. During your emergency appointment, we'll examine the inside of your mouth. We may also take X-rays to determine the source of your dental pain.

Armed with this information, Dr. Langellier will be able to create a custom treatment plan to restore your oral health.

Deep Crack in Your Tooth

A deep crack in your tooth is very painful and requires immediate care. Once the crack extends to the tooth’s root, your only option will be to extract the tooth. That’s why it’s so important that you call our office at the first twinge of dental pain.

If we catch a crack in your tooth early we can treat it with a crown or root canal. The longer you wait to schedule an appointment, the crack will get larger until your tooth is no longer salvageable.

You may have a cracked tooth if you experience sensitivity to heat and cold. You may also feel pain and discomfort while chewing. Either of these symptoms requires a call to our office so we can diagnose the source of your pain.

Knocked-Out Tooth

It’s best to see Dr. Langellier within 30 minutes of knocking out your tooth. The sooner you call our office the better our chances of re-implanting the tooth in your mouth. Don’t wait to seek emergency dental care!

Follow these steps for a knocked-out tooth:

1. Pick up the tooth by the crown (top), NOT by the root.
2. Line your sink with a towel so you don’t drop your tooth down the drain by accident.
3. Gently rinse any dirt off your tooth with water only. Do NOT use soap, scrub, or dry the tooth.
4. If possible, place the tooth back in its socket. If not possible, submerge the tooth in a container of milk. You need to keep your tooth moist or it will fracture.
5. Call our office to schedule an emergency appointment.

What is Not Considered a Dental Emergency?

There are many situations in which you can wait to see our dentist. For example, if you lost your dental crown Saturday evening, you can wait until Monday morning to see our dentist.

Here are some other dental situations that aren’t considered emergencies:

• Lost filling or crown
• Mild toothache
• Small chip in a tooth
• Small crack in a tooth that isn’t causing pain

The above situations aren’t “emergencies” per se. But it’s still important that you schedule an appointment with our office as soon as possible. That way, Dr. Langellier will be able to diagnose and treat the source of your pain before it worsens.

Schedule an Appointment with Bowtie Dental

Have a dental emergency? Our emergency dentist in Wyoming, MI, will do everything in his power to restore your oral health. To schedule an emergency appointment, call Bowtie Dental at (616) 532-9003. If you call by 10 am, we'll be able to see you the same day.