As with any medical emergency, the sooner dental issues are treated, the less damage they can cause. Emergency dentistry is a practice that deals with unforeseen dental problems that require immediate attention. These problems include pain and swelling in the mouth, cracked or broken teeth, a loose or missing tooth, and jaw injuries from sports or accidents.
Many dental emergency dentist Nashville are very obvious and can be handled quickly, such as a painfully infected gum or the sudden onset of severe dental pain. However, other dental issues can be more subtle and require immediate treatment to prevent worse complications. These can include a cracked or fractured tooth, losing a dental filling, an infected or abscessed tooth, or even an impacted wisdom tooth.
Most dental emergencies can be prevented with good oral hygiene and regular visits to the dentist. The best way to avoid a dental emergency is to have an appropriate dental insurance plan and follow the instructions for proper care of your teeth and mouth. If you do have dental insurance, you can also consider dental savings or discount plans offered by local dental offices to help offset the costs of a dental emergency.
What Counts as a Dental Emergency?
Any type of injury or pain that requires immediate care should be considered a dental emergency. Whether it’s an accident on the playground, a fall while playing basketball, or the result of an overly enthusiastic smile, anyone can experience a dental accident that results in broken or chipped teeth, painful sensitivity, or a lost or loose filling or crown. Other dental emergencies may not be as immediately painful, but can lead to serious consequences if not treated right away.
These can include severe bruxism (teeth grinding), gum disease or gingivitis, and periapical periodontitis (acute inflammation of the tissues surrounding the root of the tooth). If left untreated, these conditions can lead to infection and bone loss, which can threaten overall health.
Depending on the severity of the issue, some dental emergency dentist Nashville can be dealt with at home until you’re able to get to a dentist. If you’ve lost a tooth filling, for example, rinse the area with warm water and apply some sugar-free chewing gum to cover any jagged edges. Alternatively, you can use some Vaseline on the back part of the crown to secure it until you can see an emergency dentist.
A good emergency dental office will have flexible scheduling and accept walk-in patients. They’ll be able to help you manage your pain until you can see the dentist, and they’ll have a variety of restorative options ready for you when you arrive. These can range from a simple filling to a root canal or even extraction. In some cases, they may even provide you with antibiotics to treat the infection. If the infection is too severe, they may need to drain the abscess or perform surgery to remove the affected tissue. In the most severe cases, a tooth abscess can lead to sepsis (a life-threatening infection that spreads throughout the body). To avoid this, it’s important to visit an emergency dentist as soon as you notice any symptoms.
