It can be terrifying to realize that something might be wrong with your teeth or gums. It sometimes renders a person helpless and hopeless when suffering from excruciating pain orally and unable to see the cause. Health emergencies can occur anytime, and emergency dental care is no different. It is imperative to have access to an emergency dentist who can immediately treat dental emergencies to avoid further damage to your oral cavity.
While it is always easier to opt for products available in your local pharmacy, there may be times when you need more help than you think. In such an event, it is best to visit your emergency dentist to get permanent relief.
Knowing what a dental emergency means is important to determine whether you require emergency dental care.
What is a Dental Emergency?
Simply put, a dental emergency is any oral issue a person suffers from that needs immediate attention and treatment. These dental emergencies can be anything from severe oral bleeding to unbearable pain.
Emergency dental care differs quite a bit from regular dental care. Knowing the distinction between the two is helpful as it can help you get proper treatment at the right time.
Difference Between Regular Dental Care and Emergency Dental Care
Regular dental care refers to issues that can be solved without making an emergency visit to your dentist. These are common oral problems that you can face, like a fallen crown or a bearable toothache. Regular dental care can also include routine dental care and preventative treatment.
Severe dental pain or oral cuts on your cheeks and gums require emergency dental care. Dental pain that makes you unable to chew your food correctly causes swelling in gums or excessive oral bleeding; all come under dental emergencies. A knocked-out or lost tooth could also warrant visiting your emergency dentist.
More often than not, if you take good care of your oral health and treat your teeth the right way, emergency dental care should never be something you might have to go through. However, it is always better to know the few times you may have to visit your emergency dentist to avoid the discomfort and inconvenience of losing a tooth and subsequent dental restoration.
Six Times When You Will Need Emergency Dental Care
Here are six times when you might need emergency dental care.
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Severe Toothache
A toothache is one of the most familiar and regular dental problems that people suffer from. While a dull toothache might be harmless, a severe toothache that worsens over days can be considered a dental emergency.
A throbbing pain in your mouth, which makes it difficult to follow your daily routine, can indicate a rotting tooth or a large cavity. In such a case, if an emergency dental care visit is delayed, it can lead to the loss of the affected tooth.
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Knocked-Out Tooth
While losing teeth as a child can be a fun and adventurous experience, the same can become a traumatic event for an adult. A knocked-out tooth is a dental emergency requiring immediate dental care to save the tooth and perform a dental restoration procedure.
It is also necessary to visit the dentist in such an event as there could be excessive bleeding that might need to be contained.
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Cracked or Broken Tooth
A chipped or broken tooth, or a tooth fracture, is quite common and can be seen in adults and children. The tooth can become very painful and requires expeditious treatment to prevent any other problems from happening.
It can prove dangerous if a broken tooth is left untreated, as it gets easier for food bits to jam themselves between the crevices, which can cause other infections. A chipped tooth can also lead to swollen gums, pain when chewing your food, and bad breath.
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Lost Filling or Crown
A dental crown is used to cap your damaged teeth so that you can continue to use your mandible for all your daily needs.
A lost filling or crown can lay bare your dental pulp and sensitized nerves, causing distressing pain. It can be an agonizing experience and, if left untreated, can lead to further infection and damage.
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Tooth Abscess
A tooth abscess occurs due to a bacterial infection in your mouth. This results in a pocket full of pus appearing on your gums or near the root of your tooth. The resulting pain can radiate to your ears and head.
Tooth abscesses can also spread to the rest of your body if left untreated. Tooth abscesses do not go away on their own, and it is crucial to visit your emergency dentist as they are well equipped to drain the pus pocket and get rid of the infection.
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Damaged Orthodontic Equipment or Broken Braces
With a mouth full of metals, wires, and brackets, braces can be a tricky deal. Maintaining oral health if you are undergoing orthodontic treatment takes hard work.
Even though braces are specifically designed to face daily wear and tear, there might be events where the mount might break, the bracket might fall off, or a wire may come loose. Broken braces can lead to a delay in the alignment process and result in severe discomfort.
Broken or loose cables can not only cause bleeding but also pose a severe choking hazard. It is best to head in for emergency dental care, especially if the broken braces make speaking or eating your food uncomfortable.
Hopkins Family Dentistry: Your Trusted Dental Clinic for Emergency Dental Care
Our Hopkins Family Dentistry team believes in providing a dental experience worth your time and money. We believe in instilling trust in our patients so they know they can rely on us to care for them. A dental emergency can make even the calmest people nervous. With Hopkins Family Dentistry, you are treated by our experienced team of doctors for your dental emergencies.
We provide easy online scheduling for booking appointments if you wish. For emergency dentistry procedures, you are welcome to our clinic located at 1919 Main St, Hopkins, MN 55343. You can also call us at 9529352121 or email us at office@familydentistryhopkins.com to schedule an appointment.
