Handling Dental Emergencies: What You Need to Know

For many people, uncertainty arises when something unexpected happens to their teeth. Is this an emergency? Should I call my dentist at home? Should I head to urgent care? I will try to break down what constitutes an emergency and what you should do when something unexpected happens. Our dentists' personal numbers are available from our after-hours message, and we will do our best to return your call promptly. If you cannot get ahold of your regular dentist, try one of the other dentists.

If you have broken a tooth and have no pain associated with it, this is not an emergency. Call the office at your earliest convenience, and we will make every attempt to get you in as soon as possible. Be assured that you can still eat on this side, and you should still brush the tooth until it is restored.

The most likely scenario where a broken tooth becomes an emergency is when the sharp edge is cutting the person's cheek or tongue, making it difficult to speak, swallow, or talk. Call your dentist at home if this happens after hours or on a weekend. Urgent care will not be able to do much to help you in this situation.

If a tooth is hurting even when you are not eating or talking, then we call this "spontaneous pain." Some people may even have tooth pain that wakes them up at night. If you have spontaneous pain in a tooth, you should begin by taking over-the-counter pain medications. 400 mg of Ibuprofen combined with 500 mg of Acetaminophen is your first line of defense for pain. This combination of analgesics can be repeated every 4-6 hours. If this is enough to relieve your pain, then this is not an emergency; however, you should call the office as soon as it is open, and we will make every effort to get you in ASAP.

If this combination is not enough to relieve your pain, then you are having a dental emergency. Please call your dentist at home, and we will help you.

If you have any swelling of the face or jaw that you believe to be related to a tooth, this is a dental emergency, and you should call your dentist at home.

If you have experienced trauma like a fall and have broken or knocked out a tooth, you may want to head to urgent care first and then call your dentist at home. If it is only your teeth that are affected, contact your dentist first.

Although technically not a dental emergency, there are "aesthetic emergencies." Your front crown may have come off, and you have a significant event to attend. This is understandably an emergency, and you can call your dentist at home for help.

We could visit an infinite number of scenarios, but hopefully, this covers the most likely ones. If you are in pain you can't control at home or have a sign of infection like swelling or fever you believe to be coming from a tooth, call your dentist. If you cannot get ahold of your dentist, leave a message and we will get ahold of you as soon as possible.

I hope this helps.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact Qualicum Dental at (250) 752-9122 or visit our website at qualicumdental.com.