Is a Broken Tooth an Emergency?
If you’re having a dental emergency, you should seek immediate medical attention from a professional. If a dental emergency occurs on a weekend or in the evening, you may need to go to an emergency room or other urgent care provider, but if you can, call your dentist first. If they’re open, they may have hours set aside for dental emergencies, and, if they don’t, they can refer you to a practice that does or discuss your other options with you. Even if you don’t have a general dentist, don’t be afraid to call area practices, as many dentists address dental emergencies for any patient. Not every broken tooth is a dental emergency, but there are some helpful tips that can guide you as you’re determining whether to seek emergency dental attention or whether you can wait to see a dentist at a regularly scheduled appointment.
While not every broken tooth constitutes a dental emergency, most dental emergencies involve broken teeth. People can break their teeth playing contact sports, in falls or accidents, when using the teeth for inappropriate purposes like opening bottles, or even when biting or chewing food. While all broken teeth should be assessed by a dentist, two types of dental fractures are considered non-emergencies and may not require any treatment at all. These non-emergency broken teeth are those that are only minorly fractured, and those that are chipped. These less-serious fractures pose no immediate threat to the patient’s health and should be addressed at a scheduled dental examination.
Major dental fractures, on the other hand, require an immediate trip to the emergency dentist or other emergency medical facility. If a considerable portion of the tooth breaks off and is accompanied by intense pain, it’s imperative to seek prompt medical attention. Of course, if your tooth breaks in an accident that injures other parts of your face, head, or body, go to the emergency room; their doctors can address your medical crisis and help keep your oral cavity safe while you wait for dental treatment. If you have a less critical dental emergency on a weekend or in the evening, it’s still a good idea to call your dentist to learn their emergency number and possibly receive pre-recorded guidance on how to proceed while you gauge the severity of your broken tooth.
There isn’t one right answer to whether or not a broken tooth is an emergency, though there are certainly some instances where the answer is more clear than others. If you break a significant piece of your tooth, you’ll probably feel it. Teeth are made of three layers of sturdy, calcified material that surround the vascular, nerve-filled dental pulp tissue that keeps the tooth alive. The outermost layer is enamel, which protects the inner layers and seals them off from the elements. If you break off a large piece of your tooth, cracking through all the layers of calcified material and exposing the pulp, it’s going to hurt, and it’s going to be more susceptible to infection. Trust your instincts and your pain, and seek emergency medical or dental attention for severely broken teeth. Prompt treatment and repair can make a world of difference in your oral health and your overall health.