A dental emergency is an issue with the teeth or the surrounding tissues that has a high need of immediate care. While these are not always medical emergencies, they can be painful and need to be treated with urgency. Some of the big ones include broken teeth, viral or bacterial infections and dental fracturing are all dental emergencies. One of the big things to understand is that while pain is not necessary to consider something a dental emergency, it is a good sign that something in the mouth needs immediate attention.