Dental Concerns Requiring Emergency Care

Emergency dentistry is a medical specialty involving the management of life-threatening odontogenic complications. You must seek early emergency dental care to treat your dental concerns and prevent further dental damage. At Beaumont Cherry Valley Dental, Daniel Park, DDS, and his team offer skilled and personalized emergency dentistry in Beaumont, helping patients restore their smile integrity.

Patient qualifications for emergency dentistry

All emergency medical treatments require signed informed consent for your doctor to proceed with treatment.

You, a child, or adult, will sign a consent form if conscious. Your care provider will seek alternative consent if you are sick or intellectually incapable of signing.

A parent or guardian can sign consent for their children. For adults who cannot give consent, they can be assisted by an immediate family member.

Most emergency dental procedures are outpatient. Emergency dentistry procedures are ideal for:

  •         Patients with conditions requiring parenteral feeding and hydration
  •         Patients whose treatments require analgesics or antibiotics
  •         Patients that need airway management
  •         Patients presenting symptoms of traumatic injuries

Types of dental emergencies

All dental conditions require emergency care. After diagnosis, your care provider will classify your condition as critical or non-critical. The different types of dental emergencies include:

  1.     Intraoral emergencies

Intraoral emergencies are usually in the form of:

  1. a)     Odontogenic pain

Dental complications that cause odontogenic pain include:

  • Periapical inflammation
  • Coronal fracture
  • Dental pain of another origin
  • Dentin or cementum hypersensitivity
  • Pulpal hyperemia
  • Maxillary sinusitis
  • Early acute pulpitis
  • Late suppurative pulpitis
  1. b)     Soft tissue lesions:
  •         Dental conditions that cause soft tissue lesions include:
  •         Periodontal abscess
  •         Burns
  •         Human bites
  •         Periodontitis
  •         Recurrent herpes
  •         Primary herpetic gingivostomatitis
  •         Aphthous ulcers
  •         Herpes simplex infection
  1.     Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) emergencies

TMJ disorders require emergency treatment and include:

  1. a)     Acute condylar dislocation
  2. b)     Traumatic hemarthrosis
  3. c)     Acute myofascial pain
  4.     Salivary gland emergencies

These emergencies can present as:

  1. a) Obstructive sialadenitis
  2. b) Acute parotid infections
  3.     Postoperative emergencies

These dental emergencies present as:

  1. a)     Bleeding: Excess blood loss from the dental treatment site.
  2. b)     Post extraction pain and swelling
  3. c)     Nausea, vomiting, and dizziness

Pain and swelling: Due to odontogenic infections post-treatment

  1.     Maxillofacial trauma

Traumatic injuries in the maxillofacial region include:

  1. Midface trauma
  2. Soft tissue wounds
  3. Dental and dent-alveolar trauma
  4. Mandibular trauma

Diagnostics in emergency dentistry

The clinical presentation of certain dental complications such as odontogenic pain could mean the development of an underlying medical condition. Before proceeding with treatment, your dental care provider should first perform a thorough physical examination to prevent the ramifications of a misdiagnosis.

Comprehensive emergency dentistry diagnosis should include reviewing your medical and dental history and additional radiographic and laboratory testing.

Emergency dentistry treatment options

Emergency dentistry treatment options depend on the type and severity of your dental concern. Your dentist will typically administer pain medication to relieve pain symptoms. Additional emergency dental treatments include dental fillings, veneers, dental implants, root canals, teeth extractions, and surgery.

You must seek emergency care for any dental concerns you might be having. Contact Beaumont Cherry Valley Dental by phone to learn more about the symptoms and treatment options for various emergency dental conditions and schedule an appointment online today.