Symptoms
Dental symptom guides
What a symptom might mean, what you can do about it tonight, and when it is time to call.
Go to an emergency room instead if
A dental office is the wrong place for these. They need a hospital now. Call us afterward and we will take care of the dental side.
- Swelling that is closing an eye or spreading down the neck
- Difficulty breathing or swallowing
- A suspected broken jaw
- Bleeding that will not stop after firm pressure
- An adult tooth knocked out outside office hours
For anything else, call 540-921-3323. Appointment scheduling is available 24/7.
Something is not right
Most of these are worth a call but not a panic. Each guide says what to watch for and when it needs a dentist.
- Bleeding gums A little pink in the sink after brushing is common, and it is usually your gums telling you something early, while it is still easy to put right. Here is what it most often means, what to do, and when to call.
- Bad breath Nearly everyone has bad breath some of the time. Breath that stays bad after brushing usually has a cause in the mouth, and those causes can be found and treated.
- Tooth sensitivity A quick, sharp twinge from something cold or sweet is common, and usually manageable. Pain that lingers after the cold has gone is a different thing, and it is worth knowing the difference.
- Cracked tooth A tooth can crack without looking broken. Often the only clue is a sharp pain when you bite down on something, or just as you let go.
- Wisdom tooth pain Pain at the very back of the mouth is often a wisdom tooth. It usually comes down to one of a few causes, and which one it is decides what should happen next.
- Jaw pain Jaw pain often comes from the joints and muscles that move your jaw, and much of it settles with simple care. Sometimes the cause is a tooth, and once in a while it is not dental at all.
- Teeth grinding Many people grind their teeth in their sleep without knowing it, until a partner hears it, the jaw aches in the morning, or a dentist spots the wear. You cannot simply decide to stop, but your teeth and jaw can be protected.
- Loose tooth Adult teeth are meant to stay put. One that has started to move is telling you something about the gum and bone that hold it, or about a knock it has taken, and the sooner it is seen, the better its chances.
- Swollen gums Gums that are puffy and red along the teeth are usually inflamed by plaque, which is common and simple to put right when it is caught early. A swelling by one tooth is different. It can be an abscess, and that needs a dentist soon.
- Dry mouth A mouth that feels dry and sticky most of the day is easy to put up with and worth taking seriously. Saliva is your teeth's own protection, and with less of it, cavities come faster. Most of what helps is simple.
- Snoring Most snoring is just noise, and mostly a problem for whoever sleeps beside you. Some snoring is a sign that breathing keeps stopping during the night. Telling the two apart is your physician's job, and a dentist can help you notice when it is time to ask.
- Receding gums When gums pull back, more of each tooth shows, and the root the gum used to cover is left exposed. It happens slowly, so many people notice the sensitivity before the gums. Receded gum does not grow back on its own, but finding and treating the cause can stop it going further.
- Tooth pain after a filling A tooth that has just been filled can take a while to settle, and some sensitivity is part of that. Other kinds of pain are worth a call rather than a wait. Here is how to tell which is which.
Something has happened
A broken tooth, a knocked-out tooth, a swelling. The first few minutes can decide what can be saved, so each guide starts with what to do right now.
- Toothache A toothache usually means something has reached the nerve inside a tooth or the gum around it. Here is what tends to cause one, what helps until you are seen, and the signs that mean you should not wait.
- Broken or chipped tooth Teeth tend to break on something ordinary: an olive pit, a hard candy, a popcorn kernel. Here is how to tell a chip from a crack from a break, what to do before you get here, and how each one is usually repaired.
- Knocked-out tooth Minutes matter. An adult tooth that has been knocked out has its best chance of being saved if it goes back in quickly, ideally within the first hour. Do these steps first, then call us, or after office hours go to the nearest emergency room.
- Lost filling or crown A lost filling or crown is rarely an emergency. It is still a tooth without its cover, though, and the sooner it is covered again, the simpler the fix tends to be.
- Dental abscess An abscess is a pocket of infection, usually at the tip of a tooth's root. It needs a dentist soon, and sometimes it needs a hospital first.
- Emergency extractions Sometimes a tooth cannot be saved, or taking it out is the only way to stop the pain. When that happens, it comes out with the area fully numb and each step explained first.
- Emergencies after hours A tooth that breaks on a Saturday, or an ache that starts after dinner, still needs a plan. The phone is answered 24/7 for scheduling, and patients are seen Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Here is what to do in between, and when to go to the emergency room instead.
Not sure how urgent it is?
Call and tell whoever answers what has happened. They will get you seen, and the guides above say what to do in the meantime.
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