A recent American Academy of Family Physicians revealed that nearly a quarter of Americans have experienced oral pain in the last six months. The majority of these cases did not qualify as “emergencies.”
However, a wide range of ailments do qualify as dental emergencies. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these involve a good deal of discomfort. On the bright side, staying calm and knowing what to do in the face of a dental emergency can go a long way toward ensuring that the proper treatment is administered, pain is minimized, and oral health is restored.
Common Dental Emergencies
When dental disaster strikes, before setting about quickly and decisively addressing the issue at hand, it’s vital that one actually recognizes the symptoms of the common dental emergencies as they arise. For just this purpose, we’ve put together this handy list of some of the most common dental emergencies:
- Severe tooth pain
- Swelling of the gums or jaw
- Bleeding from the mouth or gums
- Dental abscesses (a collection of pus in the gum surrounding a tooth)
- Loose teeth in adults
- Loss of a tooth, either due to trauma or decay
- Broken crown(s)
First Aid Measures for Common Dental Emergencies
As anyone who’s ever suffered a serious dental emergency will attest, knowing what to do in the face of the problem and doing it as calmly as possible is absolutely vital. Here is a look at how to handle certain common dental emergencies:
- Severe toothache – It’s important to remember that every toothache, no matter how mild, is the body’s way of indicating that something is wrong. Equally important to keep in mind is that no toothache will ever simply get better on its own and go away. Oftentimes, though, toothaches are relatively mild and can be temporarily fended off (until a trip to the dentist can be arranged) with an icepack, a saltwater rinse, and over-the-counter pain medication. However, if pain is sudden, severe, and persistent, as is the case with exposed nerves, for instance, emergency care should be sought out at once.
- Swelling of the jaw – Even in the absence of serious pain, if the jawbone begins to swell for no apparent reason, it’s time for emergency care. This can be a sign of an infection that, untreated, could cause tooth loss or spread elsewhere in the body.
- Swelling or bleeding of the gums – Similarly, if the gums begin to swell or bleed for no reason, emergency care is in order, as this could also be a sign of infection.
- Loss of a tooth – Tooth loss in adults, whether due to trauma or disease, simply isn’t normal and represents one of the most serious dental emergencies. Fortunately, in this situation, knowing what to do and doing it ASAP can not only help to minimize the risk of infection at the site of the tooth and in the surrounding gums but may actually save the tooth itself! In the event of the loss of a permanent tooth, one should:
- Pick up the tooth without touching the root
- Rinse it without scrubbing
- If possible, replace it in its socket in the gum; if not, place the tooth in a container of milk
- Get to an emergency dentist as quickly as possible!
Common Treatments and Prevention Techniques for Dental Emergencies
Dental emergencies can be quite painful and unnerving. Fortunately, if you’re in the midst of a dental emergency, being calm and mindful and acting quickly dramatically increases an emergency dentist’s chances of both relieving your pain and restoring your dental health. How exactly does a dentist do this?
- For toothaches, when saltwater rinses and over-the-counter pain medication aren’t doing the trick, an immediate trip to the dentist for an emergency filling is often the answer.
- In the case of a cracked or broken tooth, treatment depends on the severity, with minor cracks often only requiring a non-invasive dental bonding procedure, while more severe breaks call for a crown or root canal.
- As mentioned above, if a permanent tooth is knocked out, seek out a dentist immediately. If the steps above for saving the tooth are unsuccessful, the dentist will prepare the site of the lost tooth for a root canal or a dental crown.
- A dental abscess is a serious and painful problem that requires immediate treatment, often consisting of antibiotics, draining the abscess, or root canal therapy.
- If a dental crown is broken or falls out, it must be repaired or replaced by a dentist as soon as possible, if possible immediately.
Emergency Dentist in Winter Springs, FL
If you’re in the Winter Springs area and think that you or a member of your family might require emergency dentistry or simply want to be prepared “just in case,” dentist Dr. Christopher Young and the teams at both Advanced Dental Care locations are on hand to provide quick, compassionate and top-quality when you need it most!