Emergency Dentist in Escondido

There are many kinds of dental emergencies. Common injury-based dental emergencies include loose or avulsed (knocked out) teeth, impacted teeth, severe oral bleeding, and damage to the soft tissue of the mouth.

Damage to dental work or failing dental work, like a crown or filling that falls out, are also serious dental emergencies. Even a toothache can be a sign of severe damage or decay.

A good rule of thumb is that if you are experiencing lasting dental pain or bleeding, you’ve got a dental emergency on your hands. So see Dr. Douglas Hope right away!

After you have made your appointment, you should try to focus on minimizing pain, swelling, and bleeding, and make yourself comfortable.

If your tooth has fallen out, rinse it with clean water. You can either attempt to reposition it in its socket, or keep it in clean container filled with your saliva or cold milk. This will keep it from drying out.

To treat pain, you can take over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen. Aspirin, however, should be avoided, because it’s a blood thinner and can prevent blood clots from forming properly.

Bleeding can be controlled with sterile gauze and gentle pressure. Usually, bleeding will stop within an hour or two of the injury, but if it continues for multiple hours and does not slow down, you should visit an urgent care center or the emergency room.

Swelling and inflammation can be treated with an external cold compress, which can also help reduce pain.

First, recover the tooth fragment, if you can, and put it into a plastic baggie with a clean, wet paper towel, or with a bit of milk. Then, rinse your mouth with warm water to clean the area.

Then, take a look at the tooth. How deep is the chip? If you can’t see any discoloration, this means the chip is only affecting the outer layer of enamel. While you need to get care soon to restore your tooth, you don’t necessarily need to see a dentist immediately.

In contrast, if the chip is deeper and you can see any kind of pink discoloration, this means you need to see a dentist immediately. The inner “pulp” of your tooth may be exposed to oral bacteria, which could lead to a tooth infection.

Either way, give us a call at (760) 480-8883 to discuss the situation, and Dr. Hope will fit you in for a same-day appointment to repair your tooth.

At the office of Dr. Douglas G. Hope, we typically do not recommend that patients go to the ER for emergency dental care. Most ERs do not have dentists on staff and cannot handle dental emergencies, and are only willing to treat you if you have a life-threatening issue. ER treatment is also significantly more expensive compared to treatment from a dentist.

However, this does not mean that you should never go to the ER with a dental emergency. If you ever legitimately believe that your life is in danger due to a serious oral injury, you should call 911 right away and go to the ER.

For example, if you are in a car accident that results in a broken jaw, major dental trauma, and a potential concussion, you should go to the ER immediately. Or, if you have an infected tooth and your face is swollen and you may be having difficulty swallowing or breathing, go to the emergency room.

If you truly believe your issue is life-threatening, do not hesitate. Get to the ER right away. But if you don’t think your life is in danger and you’re not sure what you should do, you may want to contact the office of Dr. Douglas G. Hope to discuss your emergency.