How to Handle a Holiday Dental Emergency

The holidays can be stressful enough already with planning travel, getting the whole family together, and cooking big festive meals, to name just a few activities. The last thing you need on your hands is a holiday dental emergency. If, however, that does happen to you, here’s what you should do.

Call Your Emergency Dentist

First things first, call your emergency dentist so you can see if they’re seeing urgent cases even during the holidays. If they’re not, chances are they’ll have some sort of instructions in their answering machine about who you can call or what you should do in case of an emergency.

Ask for Help If Traveling

When traveling, the front desk at your hotel or your host family is a great source for recommendations since they are familiar with the area. Shortly after arriving, ask them about a local dentist you could go to if you experience a dental emergency. You won’t necessarily want to wait until you return home to get the care you need or else a small problem could become worse and put a damper on the rest of your vacation.

Take Over-the-Counter Pain Medication If Necessary

If your dental emergency is causing you pain, you can take an over-the-counter pain medication like ibuprofen to ease your discomfort. Remember not to put aspirin directly onto your gums near your toothache though, because this can irritate and harm the gum tissue.

Seek Urgent Care for Severe Problems

For life-threatening situations, such as trauma to your jaw, uncontrollable bleeding, extreme facial swelling, and difficulty swallowing or breathing, you should head to your nearest emergency room.

Care for a Holiday Dental Emergency in Katy, TX

As providers of emergency dentistry, we know how overwhelming a dental emergency can be, but we’re here to guide you through it. Call us if you’re in need of urgent dental care or if you have a question about how to prepare for a holiday dental emergency.