Emergency Dental Care From First Aid to Cosmetic Dentistry
Some dental problems evolve over time. For example, dental cavities develop over the span of a few months as acids produced by bacteria in dental plaque eat away and demineralize tooth enamel. This is the reason dentists are comfortable recommending semi-annual dental check-ups.
Other dental problems develop quickly. A chipped or broken tooth can happen almost instantaneously as you bite a cherry pit or take a hit in the mouth from a baseball.
Whether the dental problem develops over time or happens instantly, you may face a dental emergency when the pain finally strikes. Some signs that you may need emergency dental care include:
Severe tooth pain. Tooth pain can take many forms. Whether it is a continual ache or occurs in response to pressure or hot or cold temperatures, severe tooth pain is a sign that the problem has begun to affect the tooth's nerve.
Loose permanent tooth. While a loose tooth is a normal occurrence when you are in first grade, a loose permanent tooth could be a sign of trouble in adults.
Missing permanent tooth. When a tooth has been completely dislodged, you should seek emergency dental care because quick action may save the tooth.
Excessive bleeding from gums. While some gum bleeding may occur after suffering from an impact, recurring or excessive bleeding after eating, flossing, brushing may be a sign that your gums are damaged.
Swollen gums or jaw. Swelling after an impact may be expected. Swelling without an impact may be a sign of dental abscess, an infection of the gums or teeth. Other signs of a dental abscess include pain plus a bad taste in your mouth, fever, swollen glands, or pus.
Unhealed sores. Sores that do not heal over the span of two weeks could require emergency dental care because they may be a sign of infection or even cancer.
Chronic headaches coupled with jaw soreness. If you are grinding or clenching your teeth at night, you may suffer from jaw soreness, headaches, and worn tooth surfaces. In extreme cases, you could grind the fillings out of your teeth over time.
What can you expect when you need emergency dental care? Experiences may vary, but here is a general overview of the care you may expect to receive.
Causes and Prevention
There are many reasons you may need emergency dental care. Some causes are truly accidental and cannot be avoided. For example, an impact from an auto accident or household mishap can loosen, crack, or chip teeth. Similarly, accidentally biting into something hard, such as an olive pit, can damage teeth.
Other causes are preventable. For example, athletes can reduce the damage to teeth, gums, and jaw by wearing a mouthguard. In fact, research suggests that custom-fitted mouthguards not only reduce the risk of tooth and jaw injury but may also reduce the risk of concussion in contact sports.
Practicing good dental hygiene can also reduce the need for emergency dental care. Some dental emergencies result from months or years of poor dental care. Over time, the effects resulting from a lack of brushing, flossing, and check-ups can accumulate and lead to cavities, dental abscesses, and gum disease. Unfortunately, these problems are common in the U.S., with over 90% of American adults experiencing cavities.
First Aid
When you first experience a dental emergency, you may require first aid. Like all lacerations, if you are experiencing bleeding, you should pack the area with gauze or other absorbent material and apply pressure. This may be enough to slow or halt the bleeding until you can receive medical attention.
When your tooth has been chipped or cracked, rinse your mouth to clean the chipped or cracked area. Use ice packs and over-the-counter pain medications to reduce swelling if necessary until you can make an appointment for emergency dental care.
When you have had a tooth knocked out, handle the tooth by the crown, if possible, and re-insert it into the socket. If the tooth is dirty, you can rinse it gently before re-inserting it, but do not soak it in water. If you cannot re-seat the tooth, store it in milk. Seek emergency dental care immediately since the likelihood of saving the tooth is greatest within the first 30 minutes after being knocked out. As time goes on, the odds of saving the tooth drop off. However, it may be possible to save the tooth even if it has been out of the mouth for longer than 30 minutes.
Emergency Dental Care
Often, emergency dental care is intended to stabilize your dental condition. For example, a dentist may temporarily bond or fill a cracked tooth so that the pulp is protected and no food or drink can get into the crack. Similarly, a lost filling or chipped tooth may be repaired with a temporary filling or temporary dental crown until a final crown can be fashioned at a dental laboratory.
For a knocked out (or avulsed) tooth, the dentist will clean and re-insert the tooth into the socket if you have not already done so. The dentist will likely take x-rays of the tooth and surrounding area to determine if there are any broken fragments inside the socket. X-rays will also reveal the extent of the damage to the root of the tooth.
For dental abscesses, the extent and cause of the infection will be determined. If the pulp of the tooth has been damaged or destroyed, a root canal may be performed to remove the tissue. If the dental abscess was caused by bacteria under the gum line, the tooth root may be cleaned and smoothed (also called scaling and planing). This procedure allows the gum to reattach to the tooth and close up any gaps that would allow bacteria from plaque to get below the gums. Your dentist may prescribe antibiotics to fight the infection causing the dental abscess to prevent the infection from spreading throughout the body.
Follow Up
Most dental emergencies will require a follow-up appointment. In some cases, this is necessary to complete any temporary emergency dental work that was performed. For example, if a temporary crown was fitted over a cracked tooth, a follow-up appointment may be scheduled to remove the temporary crown and place the permanent crown. Similarly, if a temporary dental bond was used to fill a crack or chip, a final appliance may be fitted to the tooth and bonded during a follow-up appointment.
In other situations, your dentist may want to check on your condition and ensure that there are no complications from your dental emergency. For example, if you had a tooth knocked out, the dentist may take additional X-rays during a follow-up appointment to make sure the tooth is healing properly. In some cases, the pulp may not recover from being knocked out and a root canal may be needed. This would be determined during a follow-up appointment.
Likewise, if you suffered a dental abscess, a follow-up appointment may be scheduled to check that the antibiotics are working and that the infected tissue is healing. This would also be the time that the dentist can discuss whether you have experienced any other symptoms that might indicate that the infection has spread.
Cosmetic Dentistry
After your dental emergency, there may exist some need to repair the appearance of your teeth. For example, if your tooth was chipped, a dental crown, dental veneer, or dental bond may be used to cover up the missing chip.
A dental crown is an appliance that fits over the end of a tooth to repair both the function and appearance of a cracked, chipped, or otherwise weakened tooth. A dental veneer, on the other hand, is a porcelain wafer that is adhered to the surface of a tooth to improve the shape of the tooth or the spacing between the tooth and adjacent teeth.
A dental bond is used to reshape and, in some circumstances, patch a tooth. There are two uses for dental bonds. In one use, a dental bond adheres an appliance to the tooth. In another use, a dental bond is applied directly to the tooth, then shaped to provide the desired appearance.
Dental emergencies happen, sometimes purely by chance and sometimes because of our own behavior. Regardless of the underlying reason, dental emergency care is one of the primary services provided by dentists. For more information about emergency dental care, rely on the experience of Aesthetic Family Dental Care today.