What to do if you have a dental emergency

Qué es una urgencia dental

We can consider a dental emergency as any dental situation that requires immediate attention to resolve acute pain symptoms associated with teeth and surrounding mucous membranes.

On many occasions, dental emergencies put our health at risk. Sometimes we also feel a discomfort in our teeth and we do not know whether to go to the dentist or let it go.

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Types of dental emergencies

These are some of the types of dental emergencies that we most frequently attend to in our dental clinic in Barcelona.

Dental trauma. A common dental emergency in children and adolescents usually caused by a blow to the mouth area.. Dental traumas include tooth luxation, avulsion or fracture, usually after a blow or impact to the area.

Tooth decay causing pain. Tooth decay becomes a dental emergency when it is advanced and causes severe pain. It is very important to monitor the condition of your teeth, because if the decay reaches deep layers of the dentin of your tooth, this could cause irreversible pulpitis.

Periodontitis. Infection and inflammation of the soft tissue over the last molars, usually the third molars or wisdom teeth, is usually one of the main dental emergencies.

Alveolitis A postoperative complication of exodontia or extraction of a tooth that leaves the alveolus (space left by the tooth) exposed to infection. Apart from the severe pain it generates, it usually causes a characteristic bad breath.

Abscess or bacterial infection. Abscesses may be the result of advanced dental caries which causes necrosis or death of the pulp of the tooth, or by the accumulation of food or foreign bodies in a periodontal pocket that generates the formation of pus that comes out through one of its roots.

Prosthesis adjustments. Especially in oncology patients, with radiotherapy or medicated with bisphosphonates, some dental prostheses must be made or readjusted quickly during the oncology treatment.

Ulcers or perforations in the oral mucosa by orthodontic archwires. Common in children and adolescents undergoing orthodontic or orthopedic dental treatment due to a detached bracket or archwire.

Mouth sores. Also known as oral ulcers or recurrent aphthous ulcers, they bring the patient to the dentist’s office because of the intense pain they cause.

5 things to do in a dental emergency

Here are some steps to follow if you have a dental emergency:

Keep calm. We know that a dental emergency can be very painful and frustrating, but try to stay calm and focused on the next steps to resolve your dental emergency.

Assess the severity of the dental emergency. If you have a severe toothache, a tooth that won’t stop bleeding after a tooth extraction, or you have fractured a front tooth, you probably need to be seen immediately.

Contact a dentist. If your dental emergency cannot wait you can contact us at +34 669 15 40 20 and we will schedule an appointment for you in our dental emergency service in Barcelona.

Control pain: Use over-the-counter medications to relieve pain or inflammation until you are seen by a dentist.

Follow the instructions. It is important that you follow the instructions given by the emergency dentist. Bring to your appointment any object (piece of broken tooth, detached dental prosthesis, fallen case…) that you find.

Preventive Dentistry. Most of the dental emergencies we see can be avoided with good oral hygiene and regular check-ups. The use of mouthguards in high-risk sports and avoiding eating very hard food that can damage your teeth.

The steps listed above can help you manage your dental urgency. Our team of emergency dentists in Barcelona located in Ganduxer 59 (Sarria Dental Clinic) and Plaza Tetuán 16 (Eixample Dental Clinic) operating from 9 to 24 h even on holidays that will help you solve your dental emergency quickly and efficiently.

Call us at +34 937656788 or +34 669154020 and explain your case to assess the urgency and we will give you an appointment immediately, whatever time it is, including weekends and holidays.