Urgent Care Q & A
What is urgent dental care?
Urgent care situations should be examined as soon as possible, but they are not necessarily emergency problems. Although an emergency situation must be dealt with immediately, urgent care situations can typically wait until the next available appointment during business hours.
Which dental problems require urgent care?
A dental emergency must be treated as soon as possible. Some examples of an emergency situation include:
- Severe tooth pain
- High fever
- Extreme gum inflammation
- A knocked-out tooth
- A broken tooth
- A tooth abscess
- Facial swelling
- A cracked tooth with sharp fragments
Though urgent care situations don’t require immediate medical attention, they do need to be treated soon to avoid further damage. Some common urgent care dental problems include:
- A chipped tooth
- A cracked tooth that doesn’t have sharp edges
- Broken dental crowns
- Crowns that have fallen out
- Cracked fillings
- A filling that has fallen out
- Toothaches
- Gum inflammation
Whether you have a dental emergency or an urgent care situation, your first call should always be to the BMW Dental team. Even if you don’t need to come in right away, the team can deliver the best dental advice to protect your teeth while you wait for your appointment.
How can I protect my teeth before my urgent care visit?
How you take care of your teeth before your urgent care visit depends on your unique dental problem. If you’re in pain at all, stick to soft foods and room temperature beverages, as your teeth and gums will likely feel sensitive.
Whenever there is gum or tooth pain, swelling might occur. It’s important to ice your injury for 20 minutes at least three to four times a day. You can also take over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medication to alleviate pain before your visit.
If you’ve cracked your tooth in half, talk to the BMW Dental team about your next steps. If your tooth roots have been exposed, you’re at risk of infection and should see a dentist right away.
An urgent care situation can quickly turn into an emergency if you don’t have advice from an experienced professional. If you’ve suffered a serious dental problem, call BMW Dental, or schedule an appointment online.