True Dental Emergencies And A 24-Hour Dentist
Posted on: 10 September 2015
Knowing when you need to find a 24-hour dentist and when the situation can wait for your regular dentist's office to open can be tricky. On one hand, if you wait too long, you can be doing permanent damage to a tooth or causing a serious overall health issue. On the other hand, if you go in for something that could have waited a few hours, it can be a waste of time and money. To help with your decision, here are a few of the more common true dental emergencies and what you should do before, or on your way, to the emergency dentist.
Lost Permanent Tooth
Time is the most important issue when it comes to a lost permanent tooth. The quicker you can have it reinserted back into your gums, the better chance it will take hold again. As soon as you find the lost tooth, pick it up carefully, avoiding the root portion. Rinse any dirt away with clean water but do not scrub it or wash away any tissue that may still be around it. If possible, push the tooth back into place and hold it there with gauze or by biting down on it gently. If you cannot push it back into place, put it in a cup of milk. Regardless of whether you have reinserted the tooth or not, you need to get to a dentist ASAP. This will often require finding one that is open during off-hours or 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Chipped or Cracked Tooth
Not every chipped tooth is a dental emergency. However, if there is more than minimal pain involved, you should see an emergency dentist. You should also seek immediate help if the tooth keeps chipping more when chewing or talking. A cracked tooth is another story. Anytime you crack, or fracture, a tooth, you could be damaging the inside of the tooth. If the inside is damaged, it can become infected easily and this infection can travel to other teeth. To keep from having to have the tooth removed and replaced with a false tooth, an emergency dentist can perform a root canal and/or put a crown on the tooth to minimize the chance of other teeth being affected.
Abscesses
An abscess is an infection that is encapsulated in the gum or root. This is a serious health concern and may even become life threatening. You need to apply a cold compress to the affected area and make your way to a 24-hour dentist immediately. The dentist will attempt to drain the abscess and start you on an antibiotic to treat the infection.
If you have severe pain, or have some type of trauma to your mouth that causes bleeding you cannot get to stop, do not hesitate to see a 24-hour dentist like Milan Simanek DDS. If you would go to an emergency room, and the problem involves your mouth, you should see a dentist. In most cases, the emergency room doctors will tell you to see a dental practitioner for the problem anyway.
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