Emergency dental care is available in Westfield, Indiana. However, not every dental problem is considered an emergency. There are some things you need to ask yourself before you go to get emergency dental care.

You need to consider if the pain is severe enough to make it an emergency. Look to see if there is any sign of an infection. When an infection is present there will be swelling of the face and knots on your gum.

 An infection of the tooth can be life-threatening as it can get into the bloodstream which means it needs to be dealt with immediately. The most obvious sign that you’re having a dental emergency is profuse bleeding from the mouth.

What is Not Considered a Dental Emergency?

In order to fully understand what is a dental emergency, it is necessary to look at what is not a dental emergency. Something that is not an emergency can wait a day or two.

If a tooth gets cracked or chipped it is not necessarily an emergency unless the fracture is very painful and is causing trauma inside the mouth. If your tooth gets chipped but it does not hurt you can wait to see a dentist.

If you are having a toothache but the pain is not severe, it is not an emergency. If there is no swelling of the face or a fever present, you can wait to see the dentist. 

Losing a crown or filling is also something that can wait. If you lose a filling or your crown falls off you can use dental adhesive or some dental cement from the pharmacy to reattach it until you can see your dentist.

How to Deal with Dental Emergencies 

There are some dental emergencies in Westfield, Indiana that cannot wait. Let’s take a deeper look at why they are emergencies and need to be dealt with immediately.

A Knocked-Out Tooth

If you act quickly when your tooth gets knocked out, your dentist in Westfield, Indiana might be able to salvage it during emergency dental care. Pick up the tooth by the crown and do not touch the root. 

Rinse it carefully and insert it back into the socket if you can. If you can’t get it to go back in the socket get a small container with milk and put the tooth inside. Get to the dentist as quickly as you can so that the tooth can be properly reinserted.

A Chipped or Cracked Tooth

If you have a severe fracture, quickly clean your mouth out with some water and apply a cold compress to the outside of your face. This will reduce swelling. 

Take an over-the-counter painkiller that contains acetaminophen. Avoid painkillers that contain aspirin since this can cause any bleeding to worsen. Get to your dentist as soon as possible.

An Abscessed Tooth

When your tooth is abscessed it means that a pocket of pus is in the tooth. An abscessed tooth can cause the face to become swollen. It can also cause fever, and swelling of the face. This is an emergency and requires emergency dental care.