Dental Care Center
Dental emergencies: what you need to know
A dental emergency is any injury to your teeth or surrounding tissues that requires urgent treatment from a dental or health care professional. Common injuries include chipped teeth and swollen gums.
If you don’t know whether you are experiencing a dental emergency, try answering the questions below:
- Do you have severe mouth or tooth pain?
- Is there bleeding in your mouth?
- Do you have swelling or bruising of your mouth or face?
If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, then you may have a dental emergency. Contact your dentist right away.
Dental emergencies happen, but there are things you can do to help prevent them.1
- Brush your teeth with fluoride toothpaste twice a day.
- Floss daily to remove plaque in between teeth.
- Visit the dentist every six months (twice per year), whether you have natural teeth or dentures.
- Avoid using any tobacco products.
Take note that most emergency rooms are not able to treat dental issues. Therefore, if your dentist cannot see you right away, try contacting a nearby dental clinic or urgent care center to have any necessary emergency dental treatment done as soon as possible. If you need help finding a dental clinic or urgent care center, call Enrollee Services at 1-800-408-7511, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
1. “Oral Health Tips,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/basics/adult-oral-health/tips.html