Emergency Dental Care

Don’t Power Through the Pain. See an Emergency Dentist!

Same-Day Appointments Available

If you have a dental emergency, you may convince yourself that the problem will fix itself, but this is not usually the case. Powering through the pain could soon leave you with even more severe damage and some expensive dental bills. Instead, take care of the problem now and relieve your pain in just a few hours.

If you are experiencing persistent pain, it’s a good idea to check with your dentist and make sure there’s not a bigger problem. We also offer sedation dentistry methods if you have a fear of going to the dentist.

Call our office at 719-599-0665 to speak to someone immediately. We offer same-day appointments so you can get rid of the pain as soon as possible.

What is a Dental Emergency?

Common dental emergencies include:

Gum Abscesses

These are pockets of puss that develop in the gums that cause pain and serious complications if not treated.

Pulpal Abscesses

The innermost part of a tooth, the pulp, gets infected and causes painful inflammation.

Chipped, Cracked, or Fractured Tooth

Any trauma from an accident can cause neighboring teeth to also suffer and can only be found during a dental exam.

Pain When Biting

Usually caused by an infection or broken tooth.

Pericoronitis

When gums surrounding wisdom teeth get infected and swollen.

Toothache

Pain that prevents you from sleeping and eating is considered serious and should be taken care of right away.

Lost Crown or Filling

If you notice a crown or a filling has gotten loose or has fallen out.

Swelling & Bleeding of Gums

Gum inflammation and bleeding could be a sign of disease and infection.

Knocked-Out Tooth

People can lose teeth from sports, injury, and accidents.

What Should You Do in a Dental Emergency?

Tooth or gum abscess

If you think you have an abscess, make an appointment with your dentist for the next day. Without an x-ray or exam, the dentist won’t know whether the abscess is in the gum or the pulp of the tooth. If you have sensitivity and pain, your tooth is most likely dying or dead. If this is the case, you will need a root canal. The sooner you get it taken care of, the less likely you’ll see permanent gum recession. Do not pop the gum abscess but continue to gently brush and floss the area. 

Chipped, cracked, or fractured tooth

If you have no pain from a cracked tooth, you’re in luck because you don’t need to see a dentist right away. You might feel some sensitivity for a few hours if the piece was big enough to expose the pulp, but that should go away within a few hours or days. Call your dentist and make sure you tell them exactly what happened and how it feels. The more specific you are, the better they’ll be able to assess what needs to be done: crown, filling, or extraction. You can even take a picture for extra clarity. 

Pain when biting

If you feel pain when biting, it could mean a cracked tooth, muscle soreness from grinding, or a pulpal abscess. Don’t chew on the affected tooth, especially if it’s cracked as this can result in a deeper crack and eventual tooth loss. Make a dentist appointment within a week so you can find out the cause and stop the pain.

Pericoronitis

Rinse your mouth with warm salt water and make sure the gum flap doesn’t have anything trapped under it if your pericoronitis is in one tooth. If your whole jaw, cheek, and tooth are swollen and painful, see your dentist as soon as possible. You’ll be given antibiotics to treat the infection along with pain relievers. 

Toothache

Tooth pain comes from a variety of different sources like cavities, tooth decay, grinding, clenching, and gum disease. The best way to relieve a toothache is to treat the inflammation and swelling with anti-inflammatories like Advil. You should make an appointment with your dentist to find out the cause of your toothache and how to fix it. 

Lost crown or filling

Did your crown or dental filling fall out? Simply put a small amount of petroleum jelly on the inside of the crown and place it back on the tooth as a temporary fix. Don’t use that tooth and make an appointment with your dentist right away.

Facial swelling

If your face swells up, it could be from an infection. This kind of dental infection usually doesn’t go away on its own and can lead to serious complications, even death, so it’s important to see your dentist as soon as possible. Do not lie flat and drink plenty of fluids in the meantime.

Bleeding

If you find blood on your floss or a toothbrush, this could be a sign of gum disease or gingivitis. Make an appointment with your dentist and create a plan to get back to healthy gums. Seeing blood in your saliva or mouth is more serious in that it could be cancer or an advanced stage of gum disease. Likewise, continuous bleeding after an oral procedure is also serious and you need to go back to your dentist right away. If he or she isn’t available, contact an oral surgeon. In the meantime, keep your head elevated. 

Knocked out tooth

If you lose a tooth, handle it only by the crown, not the root (pointy end). For adults, place the tooth back into the gum while making sure it’s facing the right way. If you do this within an hour, there’s a good chance the tooth will take root again and you won’t need an implant. Whether you have the tooth or not, call your dentist and make an appointment right away. If they’re not available, go to the emergency room.  

Injury or accident

Depending on the trauma, you’ll need to go to the emergency room right away. Have someone call your dentist and see if he or she can meet you. This is especially important if you think you have a fractured jaw as these can be overlooked or missed in the ER. If you fell on your jaw, ice the jaw area consistently and take anti-inflammatory medicine for a few days. 

Why Choose All Smiles Dental Group?

When you have a dental emergency, the last thing you want to have to do is travel to various specialists throughout Colorado Springs. We make it easy with our diverse staff of dental professionals, which includes dentists, oral surgeons, orthodontists, and more, all under one roof. Please call the office at 719-599-0665 when you need to see an emergency dentist in Colorado Springs.