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Not all dental emergencies cause pain in the mouth, although they usually do. A dental problem that requires treatment within 24 hours includes anything that involves a painful or infectious condition inside the mouth, a tooth that is broken in such a way that it badly affects your bite or a tooth that has been knocked out.

A skilled dentist will provide an emergency phone number for issues like these when they occur during non-office hours. When you call your dentist’s regular phone number, the message you hear should give you instructions about how to reach the emergency dental service. This service provides emergency dentistry for patients who are in severe pain or have a debilitating tooth condition, and the dental service may be provided by a different dentist.

Injuries that Are Dental Emergencies

The following tooth-related injuries are some of the main reasons why you would want to contact your dentist right away:

Broken Tooth

If part or all of your tooth has been chipped off or knocked out, place the tooth (or the piece of tooth) inside a container of milk – preferably a container with a lid if possible. Then call your dentist’s phone number for emergency service. Your dentist may be able to glue the tooth back in place. Before the tooth is repaired, do not touch the tooth’s roots or handle it.

Baby teeth are not as crucial to preserve as adult teeth, but even a baby’s tooth that has been knocked out due to trauma should be treated the same way as an adult’s tooth. Follow the same steps with keeping the tooth in milk, and bringing the tooth with you as you take the baby to the dentist.

Loose or Broken Implant

A tooth implant can become infected and thereby become loose, which would require dental surgery. Implants that fail tend to do so because the jawbone has shrunken considerably, which is usually due to going years with missing teeth without a placeholder implant to maintain the integrity of the jawbone. That causes the bone to degenerate, so the bone becomes too weak to successfully hold an implant.

Extreme Tooth Pain

When you suddenly have severe pain in your mouth, gums, or teeth, you’ll know it. This can be due to an abscess or other type of infection in the mouth. Your dentist knows how to handle oral health care emergencies of all kinds, including treating all types of mouth infections, not just the teeth.

Emergency Dentist in Fort Lauderdale

Any time you or someone you love suffers trauma to the mouth and teeth, or sudden excruciating mouth pain, contact your dentist right away. Even if you are unsure of what constitutes a real emergency, call your dentist. Small problems can become bigger problems if they are not treated quickly.

If you have a tooth emergency and need dental care to save the tooth or treat your pain, call the friendly and efficient dental team at the offices of Dr. Ernie Soto at (954) 368-6264 now. If it is not an emergency, you can request an appointment online with Dr. Soto. We are the area’s best dental team for handling dental emergencies and giving you the brightest smile.