While many people have a family doctor that they rely on for their health and well-being, oral health can be neglected at times. However, keeping your mouth clean and your teeth healthy is just as important, and can have a significant effect on your overall health. Not only does a sparkling smile make you feel more confident, but it can also lead to better general wellbeing. This is why finding a dentist that you trust and feel comfortable with is so important.
Once you’ve found a practitioner that you feel confident with and keep regular checkups, you’ll be reducing your chances of dental problems down the line. Nevertheless, dental emergencies can and do happen, which means visiting an emergency dentist. NYC dental professionals have experience in handling acute cases, so you’ll be in safe hands with your own dentist. But it’s still worth knowing what needs to be treated straight away and what can wait for a regular appointment. This will save you and your practitioner any unnecessary stress.
When To Call the Emergency Dentist: NYC
Severe Pain
Pain is always going to be the best indicator of an issue. While toothaches vary, if you’re experiencing a severe toothache that prevents you from sleeping, eating, or drinking, then you might need to see an emergency dentist. NYC dental practices will most likely carry out an emergency root canal, but this will depend on the cause of the pain.
Severe Infection
Swelling or signs of an abscess are definitely emergencies, even if the pain isn’t too bad. This is because there is a chance that the infection could spread elsewhere in the body and the infection could become life-threatening. If you’re experiencing a tight jaw due to swelling, then you need to visit an emergency dentist (NYC has some excellent professionals to choose from).
Loose or Lost Tooth
Dental trauma can cause many problems - damaging the nerve, cracking the tooth, and bleeding. However, if you’ve experienced a trauma that’s completely knocked a tooth out, you need to see a dental professional immediately. There is a chance that your dental professional will be able to re-implant the tooth, but they will only have a window of about two hours. This means getting to the surgery as quickly as possible and having all the information about the accident to hand so that they can do the best job possible.
When it’s Not an Emergency
While there are other situations that may warrant seeing an emergency dentist, NYC dentists also like patients to be aware of cases that aren’t emergencies. For instance, if you’ve cracked or chipped a tooth, unless you’re experiencing pain or fragments are in the mouth, you should be able to wait for a normal appointment. The same goes for a missing crown or filling, and even toothache. If you can get through the weekend with some over-the-counter painkillers, then it’s not an emergency.
As you can see, finding the right dental professional for you is important – not just for regular oral health but for anything that life throws at you. If you’ve got an experienced dentist on speed dial you can feel calmer about any emergency procedures that may occur.
Author Plate
Ellen Smythe is a Practice Manager at Smile Arts of NY, a dental office that provides the best care and advanced modern cosmetic dental procedures, including teeth whitening, porcelain crowns, veneers, Invisalign, dental implants and emergency treatments. If you need the services of an emergency dentist, NYC based Smile Arts have been helping New York City residents achieve the look and care they’ve always wanted with their state-of-the-art, affordable dental services since 2010.