If you have severe toothache or other signs of dental emergency, you probably want to receive help as soon as possible. In this article, we talk about the common question: Can emergency rooms remove teeth, or do you need emergency dentistry services?

Can Emergency Rooms Remove Teeth?

What to Do If You Need an Emergency Dental Extraction

In most cases, emergency rooms at hospitals can provide you with medication for pain relief and initial care for infections, but they do not remove teeth. If you need an emergency dental extraction, it is always better to find a dental office near you that provides emergency services. Alternatively, you can first contact the dentist you usually visit, as sometimes they will be able to admit you.

In any case, you should seek professional help as soon as possible, as severe tooth infections can lead to abscesses and spreading of the infection to the surrounding soft and hard tissue in the mouth.

While you are waiting for your doctor to admit you, you can take an over-the-counter painkiller, such as Ibuprofen. However, be careful not to exceed the recommended dose, even if the pain you are experiencing is severe. Additionally, to relieve the pain and swelling, try using a cold compress. Apply the compress to the outer side of your cheek for 15 minutes at a time, with 20-minute breaks between the applications. Lastly, salt water rinses can help temporarily reduce bacterial growth in the mouth.

Signs That You Might Need Emergency Tooth Extraction

Only your emergency dentist can accurately determine if you need a tooth extraction or if some other treatment method can be used to save the tooth. However, here are the most common signs that might signify that you should have your tooth extracted:

• Severe toothache, especially if it is not manageable with other-the-counter painkillers
• Extensive swelling in the face on the side of the aching tooth
• Severely discolored or blackened tooth
• Cysts on the gums around the aching tooth or pus oozing from the area where the gum connects to the tooth
• A tooth that is broken, especially if it is broken at the gum line

What Happens During an Emergency Tooth Extraction

In most cases, before making a decision that you indeed require tooth extraction, your dentist will conduct a physical examination and make a scan or an x-ray. Then, a local anesthetic will be administered to the area of the procedure via injection. Typically, the anesthetic starts taking effect within a couple of minutes. Modern anesthetics are very strong and you will likely stop having any sensations at the procedure site once it becomes numb.

Then, your dentist will separate your gum tissue from the tooth using special instruments to make the extraction easier and take out the tooth after that. At the end of the procedure, your dentist might place antibacterial medication into the socket to prevent infection and apply stitches to prompt healing.

Post-Extraction Care Tips

Tooth extraction is a surgical procedure that requires downtime and special post-procedure care, especially in cases of emergency extraction. To make sure your mouth heals well and swiftly after the procedure, we recommend following these tips:

• Always take the entire course of antibiotics if your dentist prescribes them to you.
• Switch to liquid foods in the first 24 to 48 hours after the procedure, depending on how you feel. Then, proceed with adhering to a soft diet for several days.
• Never use a straw for drinking, as the suction motion can disturb the blood clot forming in the socket. This blood clot is a crucial part of the healing process.
• Abstain from smoking and drinking to avoid slowing down regeneration. Also, smoking can create suction in the mouth and displace the blood clot.
• Manage pain with over-the-counter painkillers, but always stay within the recommended dose.
• Manage swelling, if present, with cold compress applications.
• Maintain impeccable oral hygiene by brushing and flossing your teeth twice a day. However, be very careful when cleaning around the surgery site not to disturb the socket or tender tissue around it.
• Use salt water rinses after meals, but be gentle and do not swoosh the water with force.
• Abstain from any strenuous physical activities for the duration of recovery.
• Minor bleeding after the extraction is standard, but it should stop within a couple of hours. If bleeding continues beyond this point or the pain intensifies, contact your dentist.

Get Emergency Dental Services at TruGlo Calabasas

If you need immediate attention from an experienced dentist, call the TruGlo Calabasas dental office. We provide a wide range of emergency dental services and will do our best to preserve your oral health.