Some oral issues require emergency dental care. Waiting a few weeks before seeing a dentist will not be the ideal thing to do in these situations. Besides the unbearable pain that a patient will have to deal with if he or she decides to ignore a dental emergency that requires immediate assistance, it is also possible to exacerbate the problem and make it even worse.
When emergency dental care is needed
Emergency oral care tends to be more expensive than scheduling a regular appointment, so it is only reasonable that people are hesitant to visit an emergency dentist when they are not sure how severe the problem is. To make things easier for them, here are five situations where the services of an emergency dentist are needed:
1. Persistent toothaches
All toothaches are not equal. Some can be easily managed with over-the-counter medication and pain relievers, while others will leave a person unable to focus throughout the day and sleepless at night. When a person experiences sharp, persistent toothaches that refuse to go away, that is typically a sign of a more severe dental issue that requires immediate treatment. This pain can be caused by a sensitive tooth, infection or fractured tooth.
2. Damaged tooth
Chipped, fractured or broken teeth often lead to other complications when not addressed promptly. The fracture can continue to grow until it reaches the pulp chamber. Once this occurs, the nerve and pulp inside the chamber become exposed to the irritants in the person's mouth like food particles and bacteria. That is a recipe for tooth decay and infections which can eventually lead to the complete loss of the tooth.
3. Severe bleeding of the gum
Bleeding gums is never a good sign. It can be an indicator of gum disease and infection. Infections are relatively easy to treat during the early stages, but, once it starts to spread to other areas, controlling it becomes exponentially difficult. The same goes for gum disease. The early stages are fully reversible, but that is not the case once it progresses to periodontal disease.
4. Lost dental prosthetics
Patients with dental prosthetics like crowns, veneers or fillings need to seek a dentist immediately when something goes wrong with their devices. It easy to damage these prosthetics when they are not in the mouth, but dentists can typically restore them with ease when something goes wrong. Quickly taking the damaged prosthetic to a dentist also helps patients to regain their smile immediately.
5. Tooth loss due to trauma
When a person loses a tooth due to trauma caused by a sports injury or an accident, an emergency dental visit is essential. There is always the possibility that the injury damaged the surrounding gum tissue and nerves, and that can lead to some significant complications. Also, it is possible for a dentist to reattach a tooth that has been knocked out if the tooth is preserved in saliva or milk and taken to the dentist.
Want to learn more about emergency dental care? Schedule an appointment with one of our emergency dentists today!
Let us guide you in your emergency dental care needs
Want to learn more about emergency dental care? Schedule an appointment with one of our emergency dentists today!
Request an appointment in our Rockville dentist office here: https://whiteflintfamilydental.com.
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