Ouch, your tooth feels sensitive to the touch! Uh oh, your adult tooth is wiggling! Dental concerns can arise at any time, but how do you know if it’s something that can wait for a regular dental appointment, or if it’s an issue that needs emergency dental services?
Listed below are 8 dental concerns that require the care of a qualified dentist, as well as suggestions of how urgently you need to be seen and what to do in the meantime.
1. Your Tooth Is Loose
Adult teeth shouldn’t be loose since they’re your permanent teeth. A loose tooth isn’t always accompanied by pain, so you may not think that it’s too serious. However, it can possibly have nerve or jaw damage, which can worsen, so your best bet is to get emergency dental services to find this out and treat it immediately.
A loose tooth can also be a symptom of an infection, especially if it aches. The sooner you get it examined, the better. For more advanced infections, a tooth extraction may be needed.
2. Your Tooth’s Fallen Out
Has a little bit of roughhousing cost you your tooth? It happens! Go see a dentist at your earliest convenience.
The sooner you get to an emergency dentist, the better your chances of preserving the tooth. This is because the nerves can still be alive, which aids in saving teeth that have fallen out.
To help the nerves stay alive, there are some steps you can take. One is you can clean it off with water (don’t touch the root), and place it back in the socket. Or you can put it in your cheek if that isn’t possible; this keeps it moist.
If you can’t do either things, you can also put it in either milk or an emergency tooth preserving kit.
3. You Have Extreme Tooth Pain
Pain is your body’s way of telling you something is wrong, so you should listen to it. It can’t be comfortable to constantly be in pain, so no matter what the cause is, you should get immediate dental care. Your dentist will be able to examine the tooth and determine if it’s hurting because of a cavity, crack, or anything else.
4. You Have Cracks or Chips in Your Tooth
Perhaps you’ve tripped or fallen and the pain from other injuries distracted you from the fact that your tooth is cracked or chipped. Or maybe that cracked or chipped tooth hurts a lot. Either way, this is a dental emergency and you’ll want to get in touch with a local practice as soon as possible.
When your tooth is cracked or chipped, it can lead to infections. Early treatment eliminates the need for an extraction and your tooth can be saved.
5. Your Fillings Have Fallen Out
A dental filling acts as a replacement to where your tooth has decayed. Your dentist will have drilled out the decayed bits so your tooth can remain healthy.
If the dental filling falls out, this can create an ideal environment for an infection to occur. The same goes for if your crowns or bondings fall out.
So even if you don’t have any pain, it’s best to see the dentist as soon as you can so you can restore your teeth.
6. Your Gums Are Bleeding
Healthy gums will appear plump and pink, plus they shouldn’t bleed when you floss. If they do, it’s a sign of early gum disease; this wouldn’t count as a dental emergency. Instead, you should consider flossing more frequently, brushing more often, using a more effective brushing technique, and using some mouthwash.
But if you have excessive bleeding, swelling, and pain in your gums, maybe it’s time to use emergency dental services. A dentist can determine if you have periodontal disease and give you the proper treatment to make you feel better and your gums healthier.
7. Your Jaw’s Swollen
Your jaw is in close proximity to your lymph node, so it may not be your jaw that’s swollen, but your lymph node. Either way, swelling in that area can indicate infection.
However, just because it’s swollen doesn’t mean you need to seek immediate care. If there’s little or no pain, you can wait and see if it goes away in a week or two. If it doesn’t, and/or you’re in a lot of pain, you should be encouraged to book an emergency dental appointment.
8. You Can Taste Metal
If you have older fillings in your teeth, you tasting metal means they might’ve cracked or fallen out. While this doesn’t usually cause much pain, it still warrants emergency dental services since you a crown or root canal may be needed if you wait.
What to Do in the Meantime
If you think you might need emergency dental services, you may not be able to get an appointment immediately. Even if you’ve managed to get a slot within the next hour, you probably want to ease your pain and other symptoms so you can feel better.
Ice the Affected Area
For any swelling and pain, ice the affected area, but not for too long. This should hopefully keep the swelling at bay and also take some of the pain away since the cold should numb it a little bit.
Take Some Ibuprofen
Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), which means it helps decrease swelling, as well as ease your pain. Be careful that you don’t go over the daily recommended doses; if you take more than the daily maximum, it can damage your liver, kidneys, and stomach.
Emergency Dental Services Can Help
If you have any of the above symptoms or signs, then you may need emergency dental services. The sooner you get the issues taken care of, the quicker you’ll be on the road to recovery. When you’re looked after under the care of a compassionate and kind dentist, you’ll have a positive dental experience, even if it’s an emergency.
Do you need to schedule an emergency dental visit? Then make an appointment with us now!
