While we certainly hope you never need an emergency dentist, urgent care needs do pop up from time to time. When analyzing any emergency, it is important that you trust your intuition; if you are ever concerned that you or a member of your family may need emergency dental services, please give our office a call during regular business hours or visit the emergency room if the issue seems urgent enough.
Common Dental Emergencies
Many dental conditions fall into a few distinct categories, and emergencies are no exception. Most emergency dentist visits are in direct relation to pain or discomfort. Unfortunately, this is normal; most longstanding gum disease and tooth decay conditions are relatively painless, and then suddenly become very painful or uncomfortable for patients to handle. If you have any of the following issues, you may want to seek emergency dental care very soon:
- Consistently painful toothache
- Wiggling, especially uncomfortable, teeth
- A “pimple like” bump emerging from the gums (likely a sign of infection, called an abscess)
- Having a filling or other dental implant fall out
- Dislodged tooth (be sure to call ahead for proper handling instructions)
- & more!
Unfortunately, there is no way to definitively list out dental emergencies. Often, if the condition feels uncomfortable, painful, or just wrong in some way, then it is likely deserving of an emergency dental appointment.
Our Missoula Dentist
While our general dentistry sees predominantly by-appointment patients, we never turn away a patient in discomfort. If you have a dental emergency, whether you are a patient or not, please give our office a call right away.
Remember: The best way to prevent dental emergencies is with regular dental visits!
