Dental Emergencies: When to Seek Immediate Treatment
A dental emergency can put you on the hot seat—should I seek emergency dental care or just wait for the issue to subside? That’s exactly why you must understand what true emergency dental treatment is. It could be anything from an excruciating toothache to an incessant tissue bleed that demands immediate medical attention. They may occur at odd hours of the day, outside your dentist’s work hours, setting off your panic button, but hey! Fret not! Panic accomplishes zero. Instead, let’s discuss emergency dental services and when to seek them.
Understanding Emergency Dentistry
The Canadian Dental Association draws a thin line between a dental emergency and a dental urgency. Emergencies can pose a life threat, whereas dental urgency is uncomfortable but not fatal. However, sticking to the common verbiage, we shall use dental emergencies as a broad umbrella term.
Here are a few typical dental issues that warrant an emergency dental clinic visit:
- An avulsed/knocked out tooth: A tooth popping out is quite a common scenario in children and adults after a sudden fall or a blow to the face.
- A fractured tooth: Similar to the above situation, accidents or a sudden bite on something stony hard can split or crack a portion of the tooth, initiating pain and discomfort.
- Toothache: A severe toothache that becomes unbearable when lying down. Such toothaches originate from longstanding dental infections. The pain can eventually radiate to the ear, head, jaws, and throat.
- Bleeding: Non-stop bleeding can continue for hours after tooth extraction. This could be frank blood or clotted blood that oozes from the empty tooth socket. The bleeding may or may not be accompanied by pain and swelling. This usually happens if you fail to inform the dentist about an inherent bleeding disorder (leukemia, hemophilia, etc.) or a prescribed blood thinner before the procedure. Another common cause would be spitting and vigorous gargling soon after the procedure.
- Space infections, or cellulitis: These are caused by long-standing dental infections like tooth abscesses. It presents as severe facial swelling with skin discoloration and pain. You can also have difficulty eating, swallowing, and breathing. Space infections can be fatal, and it’s best to visit dental emergency dentists immediately.
- Allergy: An allergic reaction that causes boils, ulcers, and soreness in the mouth can cause severe discomfort for you. The reaction may spread to the throat, affecting the airways and making breathing difficult. Emergency dental care becomes necessary in such cases.
A sudden fall that causes lip cuts or other deeper wounds also demands immediate dental treatment.
- Jaw issues: Jaw locks, caused by excessive yawing, raucous laughter, or TMJ (temporo-mandibular joint) disorders, make talking, swallowing, and eating difficult.
No matter what the emergency is, the mantra is to keep calm. Unnecessary panic in a dental emergency impedes your thought process. Perhaps you can make a quick call to your emergency dental clinic and get some quick home remedies, or just drop by the dental office around the corner for immediate help.
How to Handle Dental Emergencies—A Quick Guide
The first page of the guide tells you to breathe and think. This clears your mind and allows you to visualize a management strategy. Let’s see a few things that you must know before the emergency dental treatment:
- For toothaches or cracked teeth, consider popping in an OTC painkiller until you get to see the dentist. This might resolve the issue for the time being
- Cold compressions with an ice pack work wonders for non-stop bleeding. You can also attempt biting down on a gauze piece for a good 30 minutes to help with blood clot formation.
- Antihistamine tablets and sprays may be used to relieve allergic reactions as soon as possible.
- Space infections and breathing difficulties need immediate hospitalization as they can prove fatal if left untreated.
- Jaw locks are usually self-resolvable and physiotherapy/hot and cold packs help. However, if they are severely painful, it’s best to visit the dentist.
Conclusion
Do not grin and bear it when it comes to dental emergencies. Remember, every minute that you delay may cost you a healthy tooth and a beautiful smile. Now that you know how and when to seek immediate treatment for sudden dental mishaps, it’s best to act fast and not panic. Waterdown emergency dentistry has come a long way to serve you at all hours and provide you with helpline numbers. Feel free to call the same-day emergency dentist in Waterdown without any hesitation and allow us to guide you.
