Maplewood Dental Associates provides high-quality dental care and comprehensive treatment for patients of all ages, serving Maplewood, St. Paul, and the surrounding areas. Although our primary focus is preventative care, sometimes issues arise that become an emergency.
Our emergency dentists in Maplewood, MN, are here to help. If you experience severe symptoms, don’t hesitate to contact our Maplewood emergency dentists immediately.
Dental emergencies cause significant pain, swelling, and discomfort and can lead to further issues. Generally speaking, any dental problem that requires immediate attention to stop bleeding, save a tooth, or alleviate severe pain is considered an emergency. Additionally, life-threatening infections should be treated immediately.
Traumatic mouth injuries are serious dental emergencies. The most common traumatic dental injury is a chipped tooth. If your tooth loosens from an injury, you must seek treatment immediately – ideally, within six hours.
The most severe traumatic dental injury occurs when a permanent tooth falls out. Immediate action is required before visiting the dentist to salvage the tooth. Follow these steps:
Unexplainable tooth pain requires the knowledge and expertise of a dental professional for diagnosis and treatment. However, bacterial infection is among the most common causes of acute tooth pain.
Until you’re able to visit our Maplewood emergency dentist, follow these steps to reduce pain:
The only way to know what’s causing you pain is to seek professional dental care. Call us to make an emergency appointment as soon as possible.
Soft tissue injuries and infections can cause excessive bleeding and be extremely painful. Although occasional gum irritation isn’t an emergency, bleeding gums accompanied by swelling and pain can indicate an underlying issue.
The most severe gum injury occurs when a foreign object lodges beneath the gum line. If you cannot remove the debris by brushing or flossing, you must visit our emergency dentist in Maplewood immediately. Without professional treatment, it can cause gum irritation, decay, or an infection.
Infections can lead to the formation of an abscess, a pus-filled pocket that can cause symptoms like fever, persistent toothache, and facial swelling. Call our Maplewood emergency dentists as soon as possible if you develop a life-threatening abscess.
There are steps you can take to alleviate less severe soft tissue injuries, cuts, and scrapes:
Although true orthodontic emergencies are rare, they arise and are most commonly caused by trauma, infection, swelling, or other uncontrollable severe pain. In any orthodontic emergency, seeking immediate attention from a dental office or the emergency room is critical. Please call your orthodontist or us for advice if your orthodontic appliances are loose, broken, or irritating.
Although you cannot avoid a dental emergency, you can perform preventative steps. Visit your dentist regularly to prevent infection. They can catch potential problems before they constitute an emergency.
Many dental emergencies occur due to preventable issues like tooth decay. Ensure you maintain good oral hygiene and a balanced diet. Lastly, trauma-related dental emergencies are hard to predict, but wearing an athletic mouth guard while playing contact sports reduces the chance of injury.
Dental emergencies are scary, but we’re here when you need us most. If you experience a dental emergency or have any questions about what to do in case of a dental emergency, please contact our Maplewood dental office at (651) 770-3831.