A dental emergency is a real emergency and should be treated as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary suffering and tooth loss. It’s no different than visiting an emergency room because you think you might have broken a bone. You want to get out of pain and keep full use in that limb. In the Seattle, WA area, call the dental practice of Jahyun Koo, DDS, day or night at 206-922-4573 for urgent dental care. We can usually see you the same day with an emergency appointment. Or, if you’re nearby, we may be able to see you on a walk-in basis.

Types Of Dental Emergencies

Let’s begin by saying that if you think you have a dental emergency, you do have one unless a dentist says otherwise. In an emergency situation, time lost can equal teeth lost, so it’s important to not try to tough it out on your own.

Tooth Loss

Your permanent teeth should stay firmly rooted in your jaws for as long as you live. If a tooth comes out for no apparent reason, that may indicate that the root or the bone that supports it has deteriorated, usually due to an underlying infection. The infection won’t necessarily go away once the tooth has fallen out. Seek prompt professional care from Dr. Jahyun Koo in Seattle, WA.

A tooth that has been knocked out due to impact can often be re-inserted into the socket where it can take root again. Wherever possible, you want to keep your natural teeth. Replacing a missing tooth is expensive and time-consuming.

Handle the tooth carefully without touching the nerve. Rinse the tooth with clean water. You can try to reinsert the tooth yourself (again, be careful not to touch the nerve). Or, you can place the tooth in a small container of saliva or milk, which helps to keep it alive. Call our office at once at 206-922-4573 for an immediate appointment.

Tooth Damage

Tooth damage may be due to impact, to biting or chewing something that’s too hard for your enamel to handle, or the failure of a filling or crown. In some cases, tooth damage is a symptom of underlying decay.

Any break in the enamel potentially opens your tooth up to infection. Avoiding that infection by calling our Seattle, WA office can save you a lot of pain and expense.

Severe Tooth Pain

Here’s the bottom line: your teeth aren’t supposed to hurt. Severe dental pain, or severe pain that suddenly vanishes, usually indicates an infection – unless the pain is due to tooth damage that exposes the nerve, which is its own problem.

When the pain stops unexpectedly and for no reason, that doesn’t mean that the problem is over. It’s likely due to the death of the nerve that used to send pain signals. Any infection is still there, and if the pain was due to the nerve being exposed, you’re potentially facing an infection.

Take Action Now

With care, your natural teeth can last as long as you live. Don’t take chances in a dental emergency. Again, time lost can equal teeth lost. Call the Seattle, WA office of Dr. Jahyun Koo at once at 206-922-4573.