Endodontic Emergencies

An estimated two thirds of all dental emergencies are endodontic in nature with patients primarily seeking emergency care for a painful tooth. Dentists should use their professional judgment in determining a patient’s need for urgent or emergency care. Dental emergencies could be potentially life threatening and require immediate treatment to stop ongoing tissue bleeding alleviate severe pain or infection and include uncontrolled bleeding cellulitis or a diffuse soft tissue bacterial infection with intra-oral or extra-oral swelling that potentially compromise the patient’s airway and trauma involving facial bones potentially compromising the patient’s airway. Urgent dental care focuses on the management of conditions that require immediate attention to relieve severe pain and/or risk of infection and to alleviate the burden on hospital emergency departments. These should be treated as minimally invasively as possible. Hence the two most important elements of effective patient management for the resolution of an odontogenic infection are correct diagnosis and removal of the cause.