Common Dental Emergencies And What to Do About Them
When it comes to medical emergencies, dental emergencies are some of the worst experiences you can have. Whether you’re in need of 24 hour emergency care or not, it’s never fun to have to deal with a dental emergency. However, being informed is one of the best ways to ensure that you get the best care and treatment possible. Here are some of the most common dental emergencies and what you can do about them the next time they arise!
Extreme, Constant Tooth Pain
It doesn’t make a difference whether your last dental review was last week or last year, you should never ignore the presence of sudden, extreme, or constant tooth pain. This kind of pain can be the body’s way of sending a signal that something else is wrong. In fact, ignoring tooth pain can be quite dangerous, as tooth pain is often the sign that you are fighting off an infection. Because your teeth and gums are so close to your brain, it’s dangerous to ignore an infection in that area. If you notice any tooth pain, then it’s wise to address it as soon as possible by visiting a medical professional in your dental network so that you can avoid more serious procedures in a 24 hour urgent care clinic.
Tooth pain can signify lots of different issues in your mouth and gums, so sometimes it’s difficult to discern exactly what is causing the problems for you. The next time you visit your dentist (or an urgent care clinic) for a dental review, be sure to have them check out any areas that you’ve been concerned about. As with most other medical issues, taking an approach of preventative maintenance is often your best bet when it comes to dealing with extreme or constant tooth pain before it begins.
Maintaining a regular schedule of visits to your dentist will dramatically decrease the odds of you having to encounter tooth pain. When you allow for regular dental reviews, then you can help your dentist track and monitor any potential problems in your teeth and gums. When you take this approach and combine it with positive dental health habits at home such as daily flossing and brushing, you are taking care of your teeth in a way that contributes to sustainable health.
Problems in Your Jaw
Any pain, swelling, or soreness in your jaw area can be a major sign that something is wrong. Even if you’ve had any sort of work done by the best orthodontist in the past, you should never assume that problems in your jaw will just go away on their own. Similar to tooth pain, pain in the jaw is often an indicator of something gone amiss with your teeth, gums, or mouth.
It’s no surprise that many people simply ignore jaw pain when it comes about. They make the mistake of assuming that it will just go away without any medical intervention. But this kind of mindset can only lead to the development of even more severe problems in your jaw and the surrounding areas. Even if you’re sheepish or apprehensive about visiting a dentist’s office to check out your jaw, you should do it. It just might help you prevent the kinds of issues that require more serious medical attention further down the line.
Jaw pain is usually a sign of an infection in your glands. These infections are typically bacterial in nature, and they can lead to serious pain and issues if they are not addressed with a comprehensive dental review. The good news is that problems with your jaw can typically be corrected quite easily by a dental professional. You just have to make sure to see them right away.
If you’re not sure whether or not these kinds of services will be costly for you, then be sure to check up on your health insurance policy to see what will be covered. Many health insurance providers have clear policies and guidelines when it comes to seeking dental services. Knowing where you stand can help you seek the best treatment possible.
A Loose Tooth
Of course, there are many different things that can cause a tooth to come loose. When the cause of a loose, cracked, or missing tooth is clear, such as an injury due to athletics or some other kind of accident, then it’s a bit easier to do an immediate dental review. However, sometimes a loose tooth can be a little more difficult to analyze, especially if you don’t have instant access to a dental professional on the spot.
If you have knocked a tooth out due to sports or any other accident or activity, you should try to hold on to the tooth if you can. When you visit a dentist for your dental review, they will try to replace the tooth if at all possible. Holding onto it at least gives you the chance of restoring it to its prior position.
If you notice that your tooth is slowly getting loose over time, then you should visit a dentist’s office as soon as possible. Once your teeth are fully grown, they should not be getting loose, so when a tooth is loose that’s usually a clear indication of deeper trouble. A loose tooth can be a sign of some degenerative oral diseases and it can also point to a localized infection in or around the tooth itself. Both scenarios are no fun, so it’s a good idea to get a dental review as soon as possible if you discover a loose tooth.
Persistent Bad Breath
No one wants to admit that they have bad breath. It’s quite a tough symptom to have to deal with, but the sooner you address the underlying problem, the better you will be. Persistent, chronic bad breath is quite different from the kind of bad breath you might get after eating pub food or switching to new a vegan diet of edible flowers. Chronic bad breath, instead, is a symptom of several different dental problems such as gum disease, cavities, and even certain kinds of cancer of the mouth.
Most people who discover that they have chronic bad breath simply try to ignore it. Worse, they will often do whatever they can to cover it up by using a scented mouth wash or chewing a piece of gum. Enacting these kinds of behaviors in an effort to conceal the problem will only prolong the issue. It’s far more preferable to see a dental professional and bring up the issue in your dental review. With the right information and analysis, a team of dental professionals can handle your bad breath far better than you ever could on your own.
Dealing with an Abscessed Tooth
Abscessed teeth are one of the most common dental emergencies. But what exactly is an abscessed tooth? Simply put, an abscessed tooth is an infection that exists in the root base of a tooth. It can be incredibly painful and challenging to deal with throughout your day to day life, which is why it’s so important to get it treated the moment it’s discovered.
Abscessed teeth can be the result of a larger issue such as a cavity or certain forms of gum disease. There are many symptoms that mimic other forms of dental problems, so it can sometimes be difficult to identify whether or not you are dealing with a tooth abscess and not something else. For this reason, it’s never a good idea to let these kinds of issues get ignored. Go into your local dentist office for a dental review right away to ensure that your abscessed tooth does not cause any further damage than it already has.
Overly Sensitive Gums and Teeth
Many times people report feeling as though one of their teeth feels extremely sensitive to textures and temperatures. This can be a sign of an exposed tooth root, which indicates yet another problem which is that of recessed gums. Sometimes, a person’s gums can start to decay and recess, which exposes the root of the tooth to the mouth. This means that every time you eat or drink something that’s either too hot or too cold, you’ll experience a sharp, sudden pain in your tooth. As you can imagine, dealing with recessed gums and exposed roots is no fun for anyone.
If you discover that your gums are sensitive, then you’re also dealing with a similarly debilitating medical problem that is best handled by seeking out an immediate dental review. Gums that tend to bleed a lot or cause lots of undue pain are often a harbinger of some forms of gum disease. Catching on to these problems as soon as possible can help mitigate some of the symptoms. Furthermore, when you tackle gum disease early on, you can prevent the symptoms from getting even progressively worse over time as they tend to do.
Preventing these kinds of issues is sometimes impossible. However, there is actually a lot that you can do at home to ensure that your teeth and gums stay as healthy as possible. Even though it’s common knowledge, a lot of people neglect to keep up with their daily dental routines. Brushing your teeth twice per day can help you to avoid any serious issues with your teeth as you age. Furthermore, daily flossing is also an important piece of keeping your teeth and gums in tip-top shape. Flossing removes trapped food particles that cause plaque and eventually tooth decay. The CDC recommends that Americans floss at least once a day. If you’re not keeping up on these vital pieces of dental health, then start today. It just might make all the difference in your ongoing health and well being.
Discovering a Cavity or Tooth Decay
Cavities are one of the most common forms of dental emergencies that people face in today’s world. Due to a variety of factors such as poor dental care habits at home and poor diets high in fat and refined sugars, cavities are becoming more widespread among all parts of the American population. We all know how important it is to maintain a healthy diet for the health of your muscles, internal organs, and joints, but as it turns out a healthy diet also contributes to the health and wellness of your teeth.
Tooth decay often comes about in people who have diets that include lots of high sugar foods and snacks such as soda pop, sweet desserts, and other nutritionally deficient foods. These foods tend to erode the enamel that exists to protect your teeth from harmful elements. When this happens, cavities often follow and they are a source of great pain and discomfort for many people. The good news is knowing that you can do your part to prevent tooth decay and cavities in your day to day habits and activities.
So, How Can You Prevent Dental Emergencies?
There are a few key ways that you can work to prevent dental emergencies. First and foremost, try to always eat a healthy diet that prioritizes fresh fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins over sugary snacks and beverages. If you’re just getting started on changing your diet, then allow yourself to go slow and gradual. You can’t expect to change everything in one fell swoop. However, over time you will start to notice that you feel better and your smile is that much more vibrant as a result.
The same concept applies to daily brushing and flossing. Rather than trying to do a complete overhaul of your bad habits, simply commit to adjusting them for the better over time. You can even come up with a way to reward yourself for every flossing streak that you get going. Using rewards and punishments to your advantage is a powerful way to ensure that your healthy dental habits stay intact over the weeks, months, and years.
Finally, when it comes to preventing dental emergencies, you cannot overemphasize the importance of maintaining a regular schedule of visits to a dentist office for a dental review. Your dental review is crucial to your overall health and well being for a few major reasons. First of all, a dental review allows your dentist to do a deep cleaning of your teeth and gums. This kind of cleaning is impossible to perform on your own. A comprehensive cleaning gets rid of all the gunk and plaque that is just too difficult to get to without the assistance of professional dental equipment.
But your dental reviews are also important for another reason. When you maintain a regular schedule of visits to your dentist, you give them the opportunity to get to know your teeth and gums. This means that they can more accurately monitor your mouth for any potential signs of disease, damage, or unwanted decay. By keeping up with your dentist visits, you will find that you are far less likely to end up with a dental emergency that requires immediate attention.
Dealing with a dental emergency is never a fun thing to have to do, but when you inform yourself and take the necessary steps toward maintaining your teeth and gums, you can be confident that you’re putting yourself in the best position for ongoing dental health.
