Last week we reviewed some causes of dental pain. Here we move into traumatic dental injuries, with an overview of types and management.

Dental pain is a common chief complaint in the emergency department, but it can mean many different things.  Let's review some of the basics about causes of dental pain.

Elderly male presents to your ED with epistaxis for hours ... 

A 64 y.o male presents with complaint of ear pain and swelling. Click to learn more about causes of ear pain other than OM and OE!

Basics of how to diagnose and manage alveolar osteitis, or 'dry socket', a common cause of dental pain following tooth extraction

A 56 yo male with a hx of TBI, subglottic stenosis, tracheomalacia, and tracheal stenosis presents in acute respiratory distress. There is a strange looking trach in place with no balloon for a cuff. You begin to wonder how you will manage this pt if he ultimately requires mechanical ventilation.....

A 41 yo male is brought in by EMS after self inflicted stab wounds to the neck and chest. As the patient is transferred to the ED stretcher, you frantically try to recall the initial priorities in the management of this potentially deadly injury....

An 82 yo male presents to the ED complaining of several months of progressive hearing loss in the right ear. For the past 3 days, he can hear a male voice singing opera in the right ear only,  24/7. Read on for a brief discussion of this fascinating phenomenon and how we cured him in 5 minutes!

A 30 year old male with no past medical history presents to the ED for epistaxis. You notice actice bleeding from right nare but cannot determine the exact source. Direct pressure was attempted for 20 minutes followed by application of a topical vasoconstrictor bleeding persists. What is the next best step in management of this patient's epistaxis? 

A. Irrigation

B. Posterior Packing

C. Anterior Packing

D. Cautery with silver nitrate 

Answer: C - Anterior Packing