What Is The Difference Between Medical & Dental Emergencies

A medical emergency requires a trip to the emergency room or for people to call 911. A medical emergency is any issue that is potentially life-threatening. A dental emergency concerns only your oral health, but requires immediate attention nonetheless. For example, if a patient gets hit in the head while playing sports and loses a tooth, this would be a dental emergency. However, if they lose consciousness or there is concern that they may be concussed, this is a medical emergency. 

Common Types Of Dental Emergencies 

There are three main categories for dental emergencies. The first type of emergency is damage directly to a tooth. If a tooth gets knocked out, is cracked, chipped, or broken, you should see a dentist. Even if you think the damage is just superficial or not a big deal, it is still recommended that you see a dentist right away. The second type of dental emergency is issues with a dental device. For example, if a bridge, crown, or filling is loose, broken, or missing it will likely expose that tooth to potential infection. Because crowns, fillings, and bridges are bonded to the teeth, when they are gone they often leave the inside of the tooth exposed. Finally, any severe symptoms can also be a dental emergency. Sensitivity, toothaches that are disruptive to your day-to-day life, or bleeding gums that don’t stop bleeding can all be signs that you have an underlying issue that requires immediate attention. 

Do All Dentists Provide Emergency Services? 

No, not all dentists provide same-day dental services or walk-ins. In fact, many dentists do not offer these services because they can be very disruptive to the daily schedule for dental offices. It is important to check if a dental office offers walk-ins or same-day treatments. That said a dentist might recommend that you come in a different day if the problem is not an emergency but requires a short-term treatment solution. For example, sometimes a tooth can get chipped cosmetically or a filling might start to get loose and your dentist will recommend seeing them within the week for treatments. Here at Dental Town, we have 12 offices so we are equipped to help people find a solution in the area.