It’s Saturday afternoon. The dentist’s office is closed. You just fell and chipped a tooth. Is this an emergency? You have a toothache and a fever at 11 pm. Is it an emergency?
It can be more difficult to decide if you’re experiencing an emergency than you might expect. At Century City Smiles & Orthodontics, we offer flexible scheduling for dental emergencies, and our staff and providers understand that an emergency can be frightening. You deserve compassionate and fast care!
According to the American Dental Association, dentists must determine whether a situation is an emergency or urgent. Let’s take a look at some examples of each:
The thing that these three examples have in common is that your life may be threatened by any of them. You need dental care immediately.
Although these situations are not life-threatening, they can cause such severe pain that you might think they are. You need dental care as soon as possible.
When you’re in a situation that is either an emergency or urgent, it can be difficult to think about what you need to do. If you have sudden, severe pain in your mouth or you’ve experienced some kind of trauma to your mouth, you should contact our office.
You can call, schedule online, or simply walk in. We keep room in our schedule to help patients who need immediate attention.
If you’ve had a tooth knocked out, you should find it, pick it up by the crown (the part you can see when it’s in your mouth), rinse it carefully if necessary, put it back in the socket if possible, or put it in milk or use a tooth preservation kit. You should not put it in water.
When you come to our office, you should bring:
And, of course, your tooth if it’s been knocked out!
Emergencies are scary! For some people, going to the dentist is scary. The combination of the two can be especially unnerving.
When you come to Century City Smiles & Orthodontics in the midst of an emergency or urgent situation, you can expect to receive compassionate and outstanding care. Our staff understands that emergencies are unexpected and frightening, and our providers are experienced experts.
If you have questions about what constitutes an emergency or you’d like to learn more about our policies and emergency services, please get in touch. You’re welcome to call us, send us a message, or schedule an appointment.
