What is a Dental Emergency?

Dental emergencies are those situations where professional dental help is required almost immediately. This is because dental emergencies lead to heavy bleeding from teeth, swollen gums, severe pain and tooth loss in the worst case. It is strongly advised to contact your dentist or emergency helpline during these situations to avoid severe consequences like tooth decay and significant tooth loss. The leading causes of dental emergencies are injuries to the mouth caused by accidents and traumas which result in fractured teeth and jawbone. 

Apart from accidental injuries, other factors that can cause dental emergencies include but are not limited to:

• Ignoring dental problems 
• Extremely bad oral health 
• Teeth decay
• Significant teeth loss and Knocked-out teeth
• Gum infections
• Deformation or Malfunctioning of Dental Appliances (dental implants, bridges, dentures and braces)

The Importance of an Emergency Dentist

Emergency dentists are specialised professionals trained to handle emergency cases. They are trained to perform multiple procedures in case of emergency to provide immediate pain relief. A skilled emergency dentist can save your natural teeth with the help of precise and quick treatment. 

Generally, emergency dentists in the USA are available 24/7 without an appointment. Treatment by an emergency dentist can cost you more than a regular dentist depending on the severity of the case and extended hours of treatment. However, these emergency treatments are way more beneficial than their cost because they provide immediate pain relief and can save your natural teeth. Saving natural teeth helps you avoid expensive dental treatments like dental implants or bridges.

Signs that you might need an Emergency Dentist

• Significant tooth Loss and Decay:
  • Significant tooth loss can be caused due to bad oral health or facial injuries. If left untreated it can lead to jawbone infection, sharp pain and sensitivity, difficulty chewing or drinking and misalignment of the remaining teeth in the jaw. Multiple dental procedures are available to treat significant tooth loss but full mouth rehabilitation is considered most effective in these cases.

• Severe pain and Sensitivity:
  • One of the main objectives of Emergency dental treatments is immediate relief from pain and sensitivity. There are many reasons behind this pain and sensitivity including fractured teeth, gum infections, teeth infections and many more. Emergency Dentists are trained professionals who can provide immediate relief from pain with dental procedures like root canals, tooth extraction, teeth fillings and more.

• Visibly swollen gums:
  • This can be a sign of gum infection or abscess and requires immediate treatment. If ignored it can lead to severe consequences like teeth loss and jawbone infection or it can spread to neighbouring areas and affect other teeth as well.

• Teeth and Jaw fracture: 
  • Unlike bones, fractured teeth cannot heal themselves and they require a biocompatible and durable teeth filling to protect from further damage. A jawbone fracture can cause unbearable pain and can make it difficult to chew or talk. Due to the above reasons teeth and jaw fractures are considered as Dental emergencies.

• Severe Tooth Infection:
  • In this case, the infected tooth requires immediate attention as treatment in the early stage can save your natural teeth and prevent the spread of infection. An emergency dentist will take out the infected pulp from your teeth without removing it with root canal treatment.

• Lost or Deformed Dental Appliances:
  • Dental appliances like braces, implants and bridges are deformed due to poor condition, facial impact from accident or bad management. These deformed dental appliances can significantly damage your gums and teeth. That is why it is recommended to see an emergency dentist in such cases as soon as possible.

Quick Actions Before the Help Arrives

First and foremost contact a dentist or an emergency helpline during a dental emergency. However, while waiting for help you can use the following tips to deal with the pain and discomfort.

• Avoid home treatment
• Do not try to operate the dental emergency at home, remain calm until the help arrives. Treating the problem at home can increase the severity and have adverse effects.

• Cold Compress
• For temporary pain relief use a cold compress on the affected area. Pressing a cold compress limits the blood flow to the affected area which relieves the pain.

• Manage the Bleeding
• To control heavy bleeding during a dental emergency, apply pressure to the affected area to stop the bleeding and rinse with cold water to remove blood from your mouth.

• Prescribed Medication
• There are prescribed medications available for immediate dental pain relief. However, some of these prescribed medications may contain opioids that require caution and professional supervision to use. The combination of tramadol and acetaminophen is one such medication often prescribed for dental pain relief. Tramadol is an opioid-based medication that can be habit-forming if used for a longer duration. Therefore you should only buy tramadol online or from a physical store after consulting with a medical or dental professional.

These quick actions before the emergency treatment provide temporary pain relief and keep you calm until professional help arrives. 

Possible causes of a Dental Emergency

These are the following possible causes of a Dental Emergency.

• Accidental trauma and injury to the face resulting in teeth and jaw fractures.
• Ignored minor dental problems like tooth infections, cavities, and tooth decay can also cause dental emergencies in the future.
• Extremely poor hygiene can cause multiple oral diseases which further turn into dental emergencies over time.
• Injuries to the soft tissues in the mouth also cause dental emergencies because they lead to heavy bleeding. These injured soft tissues can get infected by bacteria and germs increasing the severity of pain and infection.

How to prevent a Dental Emergency?

The following are some important tips that can help in preventing Dental Emergencies:

• Following good oral habits daily and keeping your teeth clean can help to prevent dental emergencies. Cleaning your teeth regularly reduces the risk of germs and bacterial infection.

• You can use mouthguards to prevent dental emergencies while participating in a sports emergency. There are three types of mouthguards available stock, boil-and-bite and custom-made.

• Improve your eating habits and avoid eating a lot of junk food because they are highly acidic and can damage your teeth. Also, avoid eating high-sugar products and always brush your teeth after having sweets at night.

• Regular dental visits ensure that problems like infection, cavities and tooth decay are detected in the early stages before significant damage. Dental problems in the early stage require fewer resources to treat and with the help of early treatment spread of infection to the neighbouring teeth is prevented.

Note from Dentis Healthcare

Self-awareness and the services of a skilled emergency dentist can help in reducing the damage caused by dental emergencies. Your responsibility is to maintain your calm and patience while the help is on the way whereas the duty of an emergency dentist is to provide pain relief and prevent further damage. Most dental emergencies can be avoided with regular dental visits because this helps to detect dental problems in the early stage. Also, frequent dental visits help to develop good oral habits with the dentist’s guidance.

Conclusion

The services of an emergency dentist are very effective in providing immediate pain relief and saving your natural teeth from significant damage. Dental emergencies are primarily caused by accidental injury due to traffic accidents, sports activity or falling on your mouth. Signs of a dental emergency include severe pain, heavy bleeding, fractured teeth and jawbone, and loss or deformation of dental appliances. In the above cases, immediate professional dental care is required because any kind of delay can lead to severe consequences.