What Counts as a Dental Emergency?

Every week I hear the same question over the phone: "Is this bad enough to come in right now?" People don't want to overreact, so they wait, and waiting is usually what turns a manageable problem into an expensive one.

Here's my rule of thumb. Call us immediately if you have a knocked-out tooth, uncontrolled bleeding, swelling in your face or jaw, or pain severe enough that over-the-counter medication isn't touching it. Facial swelling in particular is not something to sleep on. It can signal an infection that's spreading, and infections in the mouth are close enough to the airway that they occasionally become serious fast.

Go to an emergency room or call 911, not our office, if you have difficulty breathing or swallowing, swelling that is spreading quickly, swelling that is closing your eye, or a fever along with facial swelling. Those are signs an infection is affecting your airway, and they need a hospital rather than a dental chair.

Call the same day, but don't panic, if you've chipped a tooth without pain, lost a filling or crown, or cracked a tooth that isn't bleeding. These need attention soon so the damage doesn't deepen, but they aren't middle-of-the-night problems.

You can usually wait for a regular appointment if you have mild sensitivity to hot or cold, a small chip on a front tooth that doesn't hurt, or food consistently getting stuck in one spot. Still worth mentioning to me, those are often early signals of something worth catching.

One thing I'd add for Orlando or Altamonte Springs area specifically: if you're visiting from out of town and something happens mid-trip, don't try to tough it out until you fly home. I see a lot of visitors and I'm used to working around a tight travel schedule. A temporary fix here beats a week of pain in a hotel room.

When in doubt, call. I'd much rather tell you it can wait than see you three days later with a problem that doubled in size.