Dental Emergencies Of Oral Health Importance.
People often visit their dentists for scheduled and regular checkups, and sometimes while these are just checkups, other times, for dental procedures like dental cleanings. However, unscheduled visits to dentists are made by people, and such unexpected visits constitute dental emergencies.
Dental emergencies require urgent presentation to a dental facility for urgent care. These emergencies may vary from person to person, but the goal is to restore oral function as fast as possible.
This article seeks to provide an understanding of the cases that are considered to be dental emergencies, how to attend to them at home, and also how to seek emergency dental care in a dental clinic.
What Are Dental Emergencies?
You may wake up with sudden, severe pain in your tooth, which doesn’t resolve with swallowing pain meds. Sometimes, this is a sign of a decayed tooth that requires extraction. At other times, you could just be having an excellent game in the evening with your folks, and somehow, some of your teeth get knocked out. Next thing, you’re bleeding profusely from your gums. Whatever dental condition constitutes an immediate danger to a person’s oral and general health is an emergency. However, these conditions sometimes differ for different groups, such as in adults or children.
Dental Emergencies That Are Of Public Health Importance
Various types of dental emergencies abound, from accidents and injuries affecting your mouth, which can then result in permanent tooth loss and cosmetic damage to your oral cavity, ultimately affecting your appearance and ability to perform dental actions like biting, chewing, and even speaking. Some of the most typical conditions that fall under the tag of dental emergencies include:
Toothache
Tooth pain, just like pain in any other part of the body, is never a pleasant sign. It usually indicates several conditions, such as tooth decay. While mild pain could show a disease process just starting, sudden toothache with sure symptoms like jaw swelling requires urgent attention.
When this happens, you can apply a cold compress at home to the outside of your cheek and proceed to call an emergency dentist near you to inform them that you are on your way for a potential emergency tooth extraction.
Broken teeth
This could also refer to a chipped tooth and occurs when you bite down hard on something. Asides from really hurting, a chipped or broken tooth can also ruin your perfect smile. When this happens, try to rinse your mouth with warm water or use a cold compress on the area of the chipped tooth to reduce swelling and relieve pain. Next, make a call to your dentist and them about what happened. Go to the emergency dental clinic as soon as you can.
Abscess
Infections are caused by microorganisms and can occur in any part of the body, including the mouth, usually near the root of a tooth or between the teeth and gums. When these infections are untreated, they could become severe, form abscesses which can spread to surrounding teeth and gum tissue, and even the rest of the body. If your gums are painful and you can feel a swollen spot, try to rinse your mouth with salt water solution and apply ice to the swollen area while you make your way to the emergency room.
Dental emergencies are not something to get overly worked up about because as long as you present yourself for treatment as early as possible, then you could get relief and restoration of function as soon as you can. Moreover, some of these emergencies can be prevented.
How is this done?
Use a mouthguard if you often participate in sports before you head out to play. Chewing ice, popcorn kernels, and hard candy is dangerous for your teeth. Try to avoid this. It also helps when you always to use scissors to cut things, not your teeth. Lastly, excellent dental hygiene is essential for a lifetime of great oral health. Endeavor to brush twice daily with a fluoridated toothpaste and floss regularly too.