There are many different dental situations; some require emergency attention while many others do not. As a responsible individual it is important that you can differentiate between the two, in this way you can assure that your teeth and your families teeth are taken care of while avoiding unnecessary trips to a Boston emergency dentist. Regardless of the time, day or night, accidents can happen, it is important that you know which oral injuries need immediate care and which can wait for your dentists regular office hours.
Common dental injuries:
It is not unusual for a tooth to be chipped or cracked or even knocked out, this can happen when biting down on a piece of food or a sports related accident. It depends a great deal on the severity of the injury and the location of the subject tooth. A minor event such as a chipped tooth can easily wait until the next day; however, if the injury is severe or the tooth was knocked out completely, then you must consider immediate attention by a qualified Boston emergency dentist.
How can you help?
If a tooth has been knocked out there are things that you too can do. While you are waiting to see the emergency dentist, don’t handle the tooth any more than you have to. Sometimes you can actually put the tooth directly back into the socket, if this is possible, wet a piece of surgical gauze or even a tea bag, place it over the area and bite down in an effort to keep the tooth in place.
There are times when the situation is not so clearly defined. You may have a terrible tooth ache, perhaps as the result of an abscess. If you cannot bear it and believe you need to see a Boston emergency dentist by all means call the office. Most dentists can help as there are often open slots in their daily schedule that are left for just such an emergency.
