How Emergency Dentists Restore Smiles

A dental emergency dentist can restore your smile after an injury or other immediate dental care issues like a broken crown or lost filling. Continue reading to learn about the top five most common emergency dental procedures and issues.

Cracked tooth

Many different things can cause a tooth to crack, such as grinding your teeth or biting something hard, like bones, ice, or nuts. Your teeth also become weaker as you age, especially after age 50, and this makes your teeth more susceptible to cracking.

You should seek immediate dental care if you crack a tooth. You can use an ice pack to reduce swelling on your face and take over-the-counter pain medication to relieve the pain in the meantime.

Lost crown

If a temporary dental crown comes off, you need to see a dentist right away to have it replaced. Take the crown out of your mouth and put Vaseline on the back of it, then reattach it to your tooth and head directly to the dentist.

The dentist will assess your tooth and replace the crown. A new permanent crown should last for several years before you will need to replace it again.

Lost fillings

Lost dental fillings can become a dental emergency if you experience inflammation and severe pain. Inflammation is a sign of a bacterial infection in the exposed tissue of the tooth.

A dental emergency dentist can help you by cleaning out the decay between the old filling and the tooth itself and then replacing the lost filling with a new one.

Severe toothache

A number of issues, such as pulpal and gum abscesses or problems with your wisdom teeth, can cause severe tooth pain. Do not let the pain go on. You should seek emergency dental care if you have intense tooth pain.

The dentist will examine the tooth that is causing you pain. This will allow them to diagnose and treat the problem by extracting the tooth or removing the abscess. They will also likely give you pain medication.

Trauma

Trauma is a common dental emergency. Unfortunately, it often results in tooth loss. However, even if an accident causes bleeding and knocks out a tooth, your tooth may still be able to be saved if you get treated right away.

If a tooth becomes dislodged, take it out of your mouth (if it is not already out of your mouth), use water or milk to clean it (this will maintain the moisture that your tooth and its root need), tuck the tooth into your cheek, and go to a dentist right away.

The dentist will assess the tooth and the rest of your mouth to see if they can salvage your tooth and if you need any other treatment. They will also stop any bleeding and give you something to manage your pain.