What are dental emergencies?

No matter what you’re doing, a dental emergency can occur in an instant. A dental emergency is anything that affects your ability to eat or drink, your teeth, or your gums.

In an emergency, dentists are able to determine over the phone if it’s an urgent matter where you need to be seen in the office, or if it is something that you can watch and monitor at home.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the emergency dentists at Tempe Dental Care are doing everything we can to be sure we put our patients’ health and safety first. There are certain instances where an emergency dental appointment is necessary. Examples of an emergency dental visit include:

Knocked out tooth. If you’ve knocked out an adult tooth call your dentist. If your child has knocked out a baby tooth, keep it moist and call your dentist.

Cracked or broken tooth. If your tooth breaks or cracks, call your dentist immediately. Don’t try to fix it yourself. Tempe Dental Care has an emergency dental line (just call our normal number) and we’ll help you as soon as we can.

Toothaches. If a tooth or multiple teeth hurt, it’s important to take it seriously and get seen. By the time pain occurs, there is often a serious problem that a dentist can help with.

Broken dentures. If your dentures are broken, it’s imperative to been seen right away. Broken dentures can cause injuries to your gums and remaining teeth or dental structures which can impair your ability to wear them.

Prevent a dental emergency

The best way to prevent any dental emergency is to take the appropriate precautions. Wear a mouthguard when participating in recreational sports and activities, avoid chewing hard food, candy, ice, etc. that can crack a tooth, and use scissors to cut or open packages, not your teeth.

Dental emergencies happen and we are here to help. We take every precaution recommended for the COVID-19 pandemic and have implemented strict monitoring and cleaning regimens as recommended by the CDC, ADA, and Arizona governor’s office.