A dentist can confess that dental emergencies make even the most reluctant patient set up an appointment promptly. The reason for this is that teeth can be particularly sensitive, and overlooking toot sensitivity can have devastating effects. Even though quite a few dental emergencies can end up being fatal, overlooking or postponing these emergencies can lead to permanent damage to the affected tooth. It is worth noting that managing dental issues can be costly in the long run, so it is advisable to attend to tooth emergencies once symptoms onset.
Unlike other health complications, pointing out a tooth emergency can be easy. The reason for this is that most oral emergencies are accompanied by pain, bleeding and at times, orofacial trauma. In most cases, your local dental practitioner will be able to handle all your dental emergencies unless it is an advanced complication such as a fractured jaw that would need the expertise of a maxillofacial surgeon.
Types of Dental Emergencies
Falling Off Crown or Fillings
If your tooth has been damaged by decay, dental fillings will be used for its restoration. To restore a decayed tooth, a dental practitioner removes any decayed material from the tooth before proceeding to clean and disinfecting the decayed area. After the preliminary steps, a dental specialist then fills the affected tooth with filler material. The type of filler material a dentist uses entirely depends on what the patient wants. Tooth crowns are used to fill the top part of the tooth their function is to maintain the teeth formation.
One characteristic of teeth fillings and crowns is that they are made of material that undergoes wear and tear which may in turn result to them falling off. If your fillings start falling off, this might be a sign of the formation of a new cavity in the affected tooth. When this happens, it is common to experience tooth sensitivity. You may also start witnessing the deterioration of the affected area.
If your tooth fillings and tooth crowns fall off, the first thing you will want to do is rinsing your mouth with warm water after which; you will need to cover the cavity with clean cotton wool; this will help prevent infections. The next thing is setting up an appointment with your dentists as soon as you can.
Persistent Toothache
Sometimes when eating, you might accidentally bite something hard. When this happens, your tooth can ache for some minutes then the pain goes away without the need of administering meds. Such a toothache doesn’t need the attention of a dentist; however persistent toothaches are an indication that you should be setting up an appointment with a dental specialist.
Toothaches can result from various issues such as infected gums, exposed roots, tooth decay, and sometimes tooth abscess. The last thing you should do when having a persistent toothache is applying medication to the ailing tooth. Instead of alleviating the pain the medication applied will worsen the condition leaving you with aggressive and unbearable pain. You are therefore strongly advised to visit a dental specialist to help you with a persistent toothache.
Chipped or Knocked Out Tooth
If you are involved in a violent encounter and your tooth accidentally chip or gets knocked out, do not dispose the chipped piece. Instead, wrap it with a clean cloth and visit your dentist immediately. Subsequently, if the tooth was knocked out wrap it in a clean cloth and make no contact with the tooth’s root after which you should visit your dentist immediately. The dentist will tell you if the chipped or knocked out tooth can be placed back or not.