We are all human and we all have accidents. Therefore, we are bound to end up with an emergency regarding our teeth at one stage or another. One of the biggest mistakes that people make is ignoring or dismissing pain – pain is there to warn us. But what are the major dental emergencies and how can we deal with them?
The Normal Toothache
You often hear that someone has toothache, and although this is an intense pain, people seem to ignore it or they end up addressing the pain and not the actual cause. Toothache can be a sign of a far more serious problem. Some of the reasons a tooth may ache include gum disease, cavities, exposed roots, a decaying or abscessed tooth and more. It may be difficult to distinguish where the pain is coming from – it could also be caused by jaw joint diseases and chewing muscle spasms. Because toothache could be quite serious, don’t hesitate to visit your dentist – they will take x-rays and prescribe antibiotics, as well as identify the severity of the situation.
Injury to the Teeth
This is more of an obvious emergency – if a tooth chips or breaks, not many will avoid the dentist. In some cases, though, people don’t go to the dentist because they don’t feel pain – this is an extremely bad thing for the reason that if this type of accident is left untreated, it can only get worse. The dentist will repair teeth using dentures, veneers and crowns. There may be cases where things such as veneers and crowns get damaged – it is just as important to see the dentist when this happens.
Knocked Out Teeth
It happens where someone actually knocks one or two of their teeth out. This is quite serious because if it is not treated it could end in long-lasting damage. Dental bridges and implants are not always the only option – if the knocked-out tooth is taken to the dentist immediately, it could potentially be salvaged and saved.
Injuries Involving the Jaw
Because your jaw is directly linked to your ability to eat and breath, this a very serious emergency. Surprisingly so, it is very common that people suffer from a broken jaw – as a result of sports injuries, vehicle accidents, etc. This injury definitely requires expert help and attention. Jaws are also known to get dislocated when acted on by a strong force.
There are many types of dental emergencies – including losing a filling or crown, painful dental abscesses and emergency root canal. There are other times when the dentist should be contacted in urgency and some of them don’t include injuries to the teeth. Injury to the soft tissues, gums and jaw cover a large amount of the dental injuries to look out for. You only have one mouth and it is never a waste of time to learn more ways to protect it. If any of these things happen to you at any time, do not hesitate to contact your dentist immediately.