Accidents are inevitable. Whether you are being overtly reckless or are absolutely down on your luck, the emergency unit may sometimes be on your peripheral vision. Often times than not, children are the most frequent visitors for such accidents and mishaps. Dentists usually have reserved timeslots for such dental emergencies so you should never hesitate on paying them a visit.
Reasons for dental emergencies and why you may need emergency dental care
- Broken teethA fractured or traumatized tooth is more often than not a major reason for people visiting the dentist in a panic or in the middle of the night. Contact sports, bar fights, accidents, or just plain old biting a hard piece of food can cause a fractured or broken tooth. Fortunately, according to the American Association of Endodontists, if swift and careful action is taken immediately after a tooth has fractured, it is very likely that your dentist will be able to reinsert and preserve your tooth.
Notice a chipped, cracked, or fractured tooth? Try rinsing your mouth with a warm saline solution to help relieve the pain. Only handle the crown of the tooth to get rid of debris and dirt that can potentially contaminate the viable tooth. Do not attempt to glue your broken tooth pieces together, instead schedule an emergency dental appointment with a dentist as quickly as possible since only emergency dentists will be able to fix this problem!
- Missing filling or crownDid you eat something delicious just to realize that you may also have accidentally swallowed your loose dental filling? A missing filling or crown can be a hotspot for food lodgement and can even cause teeth hypersensitivity. An unstable filling or crown can be a great inconvenience but it is also one of the leading dental emergencies that require urgent treatment.
As soon as you notice that your tooth filling or crown is missing, head to an emergency dentist to repair or replace the dental piece. In any circumstance, do not attempt to fill the void of a missing filling with thumbtacks!
- ToothacheToothache can come in the form of either a sharp shooting pain or a dull numbing ache. It can be either short-lived or continuous in nature. It is important to locate the pain and get to the bottom of the issue. Do you have an erupting wisdom tooth that is giving you all the wrong sorts of numbness and tingliness? Or do you experience hypersensitivity whenever you drink something cold or hot, or both?
- Toothaches are unsurprisingly the most common reasons that people seek emergency dental treatment. When the pain strikes, thoroughly rinse your mouth with warm salt water to alleviate the pain and reduce signs of swelling. For searing tooth sensitivity, you can try chewing on a piece of sugarless gum and then using it to cover the exposed nerve. This can give you temporary relief until you are able to get to the dental clinic for professional treatment. In cases like these, you should visit an emergency dentist as soon as possible.
- Bleeding gumsYou may have noticed your gums bleeding relentlessly when you brush or when you bite into something somewhat hard like an apple. Bleeding gums are often signs of a progressing gum disease called gingivitis. If left untreated, it can lead to massive loss of the nearly soft and hard tissues and can even lead to tooth loss!
Bleeding gums may not seem like a major issue, having noticed a lot of your acquaintances dealing with minor bleeding from time to time. But, bleeding gums is considered a dental emergency that can be a sign of a larger issue. You need to get the help of emergency dental practitioners to get to the root of the problem.
- Abscessed TeethA tooth abscess is a pocket or sulcus of pus that develops as a result of bacterial infection. A periapical abscess occurs at the tip of the tooth root, whereas a periodontal abscess occurs in the side of the gums of the tooth root. A periapical tooth abscess usually occurs as a result of an untreated dental cavity, an injury, or prior dental work. It can lead to a severe, persistent, throbbing toothache that can radiate and refer to the jawbone, neck, or ear. It may also cause tooth hypersensitivity to hot and cold temperatures, fever, and swelling in the face or cheek.
An abscessed tooth is one of the most painful dental emergencies. The pain may persist until you see an emergency dentist. The dentist will treat a tooth abscess by draining the pus and getting rid of the infection. Leaving an abscessed tooth untreated can lead to serious, even life-threatening, complications.
What do emergency dentists do?
Emergency dental professionals are able to diagnose the underlying cause of your pain and potential contributory symptoms. For example, a toothache could mean a wide array of different possibilities. It could indicate the presence of a cavity deep enough to penetrate the pulp within the tooth that contains the nerves and blood vessels. However, a toothache can also mean that you are a nocturnal teeth-grinder. The only way to know for certain is to request an appointment with an emergency dentist.
There are plenty of dental issues that showcase as ‘moderate’ to ‘severe’ on the pain scale. It is wise for you to visit an emergency dental care unit if you are suffering from any of these dental problems that may need urgent care. Visit the emergency dentist for these emergencies:
- Severe tooth pain
- Dental abscess
- Knocked-out tooth
- A broken tooth or large piece of a tooth is missing
- A large chip or crack in the tooth
- Uncontrolled bleeding
- Diffuse swelling or trauma that may obstruct the patient’s airways
Do not put off seeing an emergency dentist if your dental issues are bothering you. For easy dental appointment booking, visit 4Smile to get your dental help ASAP! The sooner you seek urgent dental care, the sooner the dentist will be able to treat issues ahead of them progressing. This could mean the difference between you needing a simple tooth filling or an extensive root canal.
