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What exactly is an dental emergency?
It is an emergency if you are concerned about something happening in your mouth that is giving you extreme pain, swelling, or bleeding; or if you have broken a tooth, lost a bridge, or had anything else happen that you are angry about and want to repair right away. It may not be a life-or-death scenario, but if it is giving you immediate discomfort, suffering, or embarrassment, it should be addressed as quickly as possible.
There are certain evident dental issues that may cause you anxiety. You should be prepared to deal with them if they emerge. They are as follows:
- An unintentional blow to a tooth that causes it to chip, shatter, or even be knocked out.
- Persistent bleeding following dental surgery or tooth extraction
- Soreness and pain behind the last tooth, at the area where wisdom teeth are usually found
- An accidental blow to a tooth, resulting in a chip or fracture of the tooth, or even causing it to be knocked out
- Bleeding that doesn’t stop after dental surgery or tooth extraction
- Pain and soreness behind the last tooth, in the area where wisdom teeth normally exist
- Toothache-severe pain, perhaps swelling, headache, and fever
- Tender, bleeding gums, possible sore throat, possible-fever, bad taste, and bad breath
- An abscess or swelling of the gum next to a tooth, causing great pain
- A human bite, usually resulting from a fight
- Burned lips, tongue or palate, due to hot food or hot drink; possibly with a child, a burn due to lye or acid
- Uncontrolled oozing or bleeding from the gums
- Small silvery-white sores, very painful, looking like little ulcers with red borders
- Loss of a filling and immediate tooth sensitivity
- Loss of a crown, bridge, or even a denture; loss of a tooth on a denture or partial denture
- An orthodontic wire breaking and piercing the cheek or tongue
- Nausea or suspected allergic reaction to medication being taken in relation to dental treatment
- Floss caught between teeth
TRAUMA
The chipped or cracked tooth is one of the most prevalent dental emergencies. When your child falls, this is more likely to happen to him than to you, though adults have been known to miss a step, slip on ice, or trip. Adults might suffer the same calamitous blow to the teeth and jaw. Adults and children are occasionally involved in fights or other mishaps that result in the front of the face colliding with a swiftly moving hard item.
What Happens If the Whole Tooth Is Knocked Out?
If you get to the dentist within thirty minutes and haven’t damaged the tooth surface by handling it too much, there’s a strong chance you’ll be able to save it by replanting it. The most crucial thing is to place the tooth in a clean handkerchief, preferably soaked with weak salt water (one teaspoon of salt in a glass of water would be the perfect solution to help preserve the living cells on the tooth surface). If at all possible, avoid handling the tooth by the root. Get proper dental treatment as soon as possible.
OTHER MOUTH-RELATED TRAUMATIC ACCIDENTS
Aside from mishaps involving one’s own natural teeth, it’s possible that you already have dental implants. You could be wearing a full or partial denture. If you drop it and it breaks, you can temporarily fix it with epoxy glue. You should not think of this as permanent, and you should see your dentist as soon as possible. Even little abnormalities in a denture’s surface might irritate tissues. If this irritation persists for an extended length of time, it may cause irreversible harm to the tissue adjacent to the healed area. Allow your dentist to correctly repair and adjust your denture or partial denture, as well as provide you with proper oral care.
Bleeding
There are various circumstances that could result in bleeding in your mouth. If you have a family history or personal history of blood problems or prolonged bleeding after incisions, if you have high blood pressure, or if you bruise easily, always notify your dentist or dental surgeon before any surgical treatment. Before operating, your dentist may wish to do some laboratory tests or confer with your physician. As a result, be diligent in providing him with information. It is preferable to avoid a bleeding problem than to cure it after the fact.
Infection of Wisdom Teeth
An infection in the wisdom-tooth area, also known as pericoronitis, usually occurs as a result of food and bacteria becoming trapped beneath a gum flap. Often, the wisdom teeth does not fully erupt, making cleaning difficult. These barely erupted teeth are prone to decay. Begin washing vigorously with a 3 percent hydrogen peroxide solution to ease the acute pain and maybe the difficulty in opening your mouth. Repeat this process numerous times within a few hours. For best results, use full strength for two minutes. Then rinse with water. If the entire potency affects you during rinsing, dilute it by half with water. Keep the solution in your mouth for one minute before spitting it out. There will be bubbles or froth in your mouth, which you should rinse with water. Call your dentist right away if you need immediate dental treatment.
Infection After Surgery
A second sort of infection you may develop is one that occurs as a result of a medical treatment performed in your mouth. Infection symptoms include discomfort, edoema, and perhaps a fever. Swelling following surgery does not always indicate an infection, as some swelling is typical. However, if the swelling persists for more than four days without diminishing, grows in size, feels warm and hard, and is painful, see your dentist. He should see you right away and may put you on an antibiotic, increase the dosage of the antibiotic you’re taking, or replace the one you’re using. He may have to open up your wound and clean it. He’ll know what to do once he meets you, so just make sure you call him and visit him if you’re suspicious. Take the attitude that it will probably get better on its own. It might, but if it doesn’t, it’ll be more difficult to treat later. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!” says the proverb.
Mouth Sores Caused by a Virus
A viral outbreak in your child’s mouth, which can occur in adults, is another sort of infection that may appear to be an emergency. Typically, the first such incident occurs during childhood. Sores all over the mouth, a sore throat, difficulty swallowing, and maybe fever are all possible symptoms. The gums may bleed, and the tongue may have a vivid red colour. The mouth smells bad, and the lymph nodes may be enlarged. This is common following an upper respiratory infection. These viruses are most common in the spring and fall. Call your doctor and ask him to examine the youngster and advise you.
Toothache
There are numerous reasons of discomfort in the mouth, the most frequent of which is a toothache. If possible, try to locate the tooth that is causing the pain at home. Examine your teeth to see if any of them have a hole in them or if a filling has fallen out. If you can locate the tooth, inserting a small cotton ball saturated with clove oil (available at pharmacies) into the hole in the tooth will provide temporary relief. If your tooth is sore to the touch but there is no hole or missing filling, you may have a nerve infection. If you have a loose tooth, you may have the beginnings of a periodontal abscess. In any event, do not apply aspirin to the gum near the tooth. You will get a “aspirin burn” if you burn the tissue. Avoid eating or drinking anything hot or cold, as well as sweets. Make an emergency appointment with your dentist right away. If the tooth can be preserved, he will X-ray it and address the condition. If he insists on pulling the tooth, ask him why you can’t get a root canal. He may have compelling reasons to extract the tooth, but if he can save it, encourage him to do so. If he does not seem to support his arguments for extraction convincingly, ask him to place a temporary sedative dressing, such as zinc-oxide-eugenol cement, and then seek a second opinion from an endodontist.
Pain Following Tooth Extraction (Dry Socket)
A simple tooth extraction normally causes very little discomfort. Wisdom teeth that are impacted (hidden partially or entirely in the jawbone) may cause additional pain during recovery, but the pain normally subsides within a few days. Occasionally, one day or many days following an extraction, whether it was a simple or tough treatment, you may have intense pain that does not appear to go away. This could be pain caused by an infection. However, there is another type of pain that is not caused by an infection. That is the result of the blood clot in the socket dissolving. The clot should normally be organising and participating in the healing process. If the clot is lost, the socket bone becomes naked, and no healing may occur until the bone lining the socket is undermined and eliminated by the surrounding bone’s cells. This can be a lengthy and painful procedure, with no relief for up to two weeks. You should see your dentist as often as he recommends, and he may place medication in the socket to assist relieve pain while healing takes place. During that time, he will provide you with the essential prescriptions for pain relievers.
Biting Down on a Hard Object Causes Intense Pain
You might have chipped a tooth. Contact your dentist right away. He can use an X-ray and a fiber-optic light to look for a fracture. If he can’t tell for sure and you’re not in any more pain, he might just instruct you to wait a few days and see if any indications of a dying nerve appear. If the pain persists, your dentist or an endodontist should determine whether root-canal treatment is necessary. The fracture may have sheared without involving the nerve, or it may have impacted the nerve. The tooth will most likely be lost if the fracture is vertical. Only your dentist, after evaluating all options, can provide you with adequate dental care.