Emergency Dentistry: What Is It and How Does It Work?

Dental pain is one of the most common health complaints in the world. About 40% of people say that their dental pain is severe, which means it interferes with their normal routine. Knowing what to look for can help you find relief sooner and prevent dental complications.

What is a Dental Emergency?

A dental emergency is an urgent, painful problem that should be treated by a qualified dentist without delay.

Emergencies can happen when part of your jaw or tooth has been knocked out or severely chipped. When you have severe pain in one of your teeth, and it won’t go away with regular at-home remedies, or when you have other symptoms that are preventing you from eating or drinking. Dental emergencies can range from a loose tooth to an abscess. Emergency dentistry is different than general dentistry, which focuses on prevention and cosmetic treatments.

How Does Emergency Work?

Emergency work is typically done in the hospital or a dental clinic. You will receive anesthesia, and you won’t feel any pain during your procedure, and your dentist may prescribe antibiotics to prevent infection after you leave the office. Emergency dentistry can consist of one treatment or several, depending on the situation.

What Are the Signs You Need a Dental Emergency?

There are several signs that you need a dental emergency in Delta BC, and they include:

• Wiggly teeth

Have you noticed your teeth are starting to feel loose? If so, there are a few things that could be happening, like a tooth injury. This can cause significant pain for patients, and you need to get a dental emergency near you to stop the loosening. Loose teeth can be a sign of a localized infection.

• Severe toothache

Toothache can be debilitating and can result in a variety of complications if not treated quickly. The severity of your toothache at the time is one of the most important factors in determining what kind of treatment you need. If you have a minor toothache, home remedies can work great. However, if the pain is severe and persistent, you need to get immediate dental treatment. This is because there may be an underlying cause like decaying teeth, tooth decay, cavities, and gum disease.

While most people consider a little blood when they put in their floss to be a normal part of their oral hygiene routine, this is not always the case. Bleeding from the teeth is a sign of gum disease or gingivitis in some cases. If bleeding persists, is recurrent, and even large in amount, it may be gum disease.

• Swollen jaw

A swollen jaw can indicate a sign of infection. One of which is salivary gland infection, caused by bacteria,v. If you are experiencing swollen glands, coupled with fever, trouble breathing, difficulty swallowing, or a bad taste, then you should consult with your doctor at once.

• Knocked-out teeth

Some patients can lose one or more teeth because of trauma. If you have knocked out teeth, make sure you do your best to return the tooth into its socket as quickly as possible. This is the best chance that you have at preserving your natural tooth. If you cannot fit it back into its socket, keep the tooth moist and contained in a small amount of water which you can use to store it in until it can be properly re-inserted by a dentist.

• Cracked teeth

If you have a cracked tooth, they should be seen by a dentist right away. Emergency dentistry is the only way to save your tooth from further damage and get you back into that smile that you want so badly! If it is too late for emergency dentistry measures to be taken on your tooth, then there are some temporary methods of preventing further damage that you can take. First, if you have a cracked tooth with no pain, the best thing to do is try your hardest not to chew with it! You may, however, need an emergency tooth extraction if the crack extends to the root of the teeth.

• Lost crown or fillings

Your dental fillings and crowns can also happen when you have an accident. The dentist will use fillings to replace the lost tooth structure, but in some cases, the dentist will extract that tooth or teeth if there is not enough remaining tooth structure for a filling.

Schedule an Appointment

Visit Precision Dentistry for more information about emergency dentistry services and how they can benefit you.