There are so many things that could lead to a visit to an emergency dentist. These can range from a broken tooth to something more serious,
like a broken jaw. The most common dental problems that lead to an emergency dental visit when you need a quick treatment for tongues or lips that have been severely bitten, a painful toothache, or knocked out teeth.
Emergencies usually do not occur during normal office hours, so some dentists offer special hours to deal with emergency cases and usually provide you with a special phone number that you can contact them if an emergency does occur. If you do happen to have an emergency when you need to contact an emergency dentist, you will need to check for any damage that you can see. If you notice any problem, call him. During that phone call, you need to let them know what the problem is and that it should be treated immediately. The dentist will then check the problem and decide if you do need to have the work done right then or if it can wait until your next appointment.
Some of the reasons that you would go to an emergency dentist are:
• Broken teeth, which include any cracks, splits, or teeth that have been broken off completely. These affect the pulp, enamel, and crown of the tooth. Keeping regular hygiene and dental visits will help protect the teeth from cracking and breaking;
• Knocked out tooth, which could be gone completely or just hanging there. Often if taken care of right away, the tooth can be replaced as long as it is complete and good condition, but you do need to make sure that you can find the tooth. The best way to store it is either in your mouth or in a small glass of milk. If you cannot find it or the tooth has broken, an implant will be made to replace the missing tooth;
• Dental abscess, which is sudden pain and does usually require treatment immediately. It means that there may be an infection starting, which could lead to rupture and could cause the tooth to die; and
• Impacted wisdom teeth, which happen when the jaw is too small and they cannot grow properly. These cause a painful jaw and are usually removed, therefore, causing no more problems. If you have regular check-ups, the dentist can monitor their growth and impaction can be avoided.
Before you see the emergency dentist you should take some painkillers and use cold compresses to see if the pain will go away, so that you can make an immediate appointment with your regular dentist to have your problem checked as soon as possible.
