There are several things which can constitute a medical emergency, including pain, oozing sores and swelling. In some instances, all of these may occur; in others only one of these symptoms may be present. If a tooth or the gum around it is not in significant pain, some of our patients make the mistake of thinking that it is fine. However, if the area is swollen, you need to contact our office immediately.

Swelling is a sign of something being seriously wrong. Our patients need and deserve to have a correct diagnosis as soon as possible. In some instances, it may even save the life of a person. This is because swelling often accompanies some form of infection.

While infections anywhere in the body are serious and need to be addressed by a medical professional quickly, when it occurs in the head, the situation becomes more critical. This is because if the infection gets into the blood it can rapidly reach the brain. Patients can suffer a great deal of harm to this vital organ if this occurs, including but not limited to an unexpected and rapid decline leading to loss of life.

Besides a serious infection that can spread quickly, there are other types of infection and irritation that can cause swelling of the face. Viral infections like herpes usually have accompanying pain but not always. The transmittable disease syphilis can cause red swelling that is not painful. Likewise, patients may have some other form of infection, including those caused by fungi and bacteria.

At times, we see patients who have swelling after experiencing some type of injury. Whether it is related to sports or just a simple fall at home, this situation should be checked out by one of our staff. It is not uncommon for people to think the swelling and pain will subside when there is actually something more serious going on. For instance, there may be a chip of tooth embedded in the gum. When patients get to us quickly, we have more options to reduce the pain/swelling and possibly save a broken tooth.

These are just some of the types of dental emergencies that we treat when patients have facial swelling. Having a proper diagnosis as quickly as possible is imperative to successful treatment. If you are experiencing swelling, with or without pain, call our Baltimore area emergency dental office today so we can help you.