Is a broken tooth an emergency?
Dental emergencies necessitate urgent medical attention from a qualified professional. This may mean calling a dentist to schedule a same-day appointment, or it may mean going to an urgent care facility or hospital emergency room. A broken tooth could be a dental emergency, though not all broken teeth require emergency medical or dental attention. Minor dental fractures or chipped teeth don’t usually qualify as dental emergencies, though they should be addressed by a dentist at a scheduled appointment. Significant dental fractures could occur during sports activities, accidents or falls, or even while eating; regardless of the circumstances, if a large piece of tooth breaks off and it hurts when this happens, see a dental or medical professional immediately.
If you need emergency attention for a broken tooth, try calling your dentist. In many dental practices, dentists set aside time during their workday for emergency dental treatments; if your dentist is unavailable, it’s worth it to call other area dentists, and it’s also okay to ask your dentist for a recommendation if they are unable to see you. There’s often a good chance that an area dentist will be able to see patients for dental emergencies in a timely manner. If your tooth breaks and you require emergency medical attention outside of a dentist’s regular business hours, call your dentist’s office to hear their emergency information on addressing a dental emergency. If it is an option for you and the circumstances warrant it, a hospital emergency room or urgent care clinic can provide emergency treatment that may require follow-up visits with a dentist for more comprehensive therapy.
Minor cracks and chips that don’t threaten the overall health or comfort of the patient can be addressed at a scheduled dental appointment, and patients with a toothache or tooth sensitivity that arises because of a crack or chip in the tooth can usually manage discomfort while they wait for a scheduled dental appointment. In these cases, dentists recommend using over-the-counter pain medication to relieve pain, in addition to rinsing the oral cavity with warm saltwater to reduce bacteria buildup and soothe inflamed tissue. If your broken tooth is causing significant pain, or if your tooth broke because of impact to the face and trauma to the mouth, consider this an emergency dental situation and take the necessary actions. Early medical attention could prevent the situation from worsening while awaiting dental care, and prompt dental attention could provide ready treatment for the pain while working to restore the integrity of the tooth and prevent further damage (and to avoid the possibility of extraction).
When the health and integrity of the teeth is compromised, they are more prone to breakage. Teeth with sizable cavities or significant tooth decay tend to break more easily than healthy teeth, and as people age, their teeth can grow weak and be more prone to breakage. Maintaining a healthy diet, properly addressing medical conditions like diabetes or osteoporosis, and practicing a thorough, effective oral hygiene routine can help keep the teeth strong, healthy, and firmly rooted in the mouth, and remembering that the teeth are not made of steel can help keep them from breaking. Wear a mouth guard if you play contact sports or if you grind or clench your teeth habitually, and avoid using your teeth for anything other than chewing food. With some basic choices and healthy habits, you can avoid the need for an emergency dentist for a broken tooth.