No matter how careful you are about oral hygiene and dental visits, sometimes dental emergencies come up. You bite the wrong way. Hard food does something to a tooth. An accident occurs and you have an injured mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A dental emergency can come up for any number of reasons. The important thing is to handle it right away. Ignoring a potential problem in your mouth means it will only get worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Have you ever had an achy tooth or something that didn’t feel quite right? You probably wondered if you should call the dentist or just hope it would go away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Read on to learn more about dental emergencies and when you should get in to see your dentist.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Do you call the dentist to get in right away for an achy tooth? You might wonder when something is considered an emergency. The truth is that your dentist would much rather you come in to see them if you think you have an issue than choose to ignore the problem in your mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you have significant pain or lasting pain in your mouth, you should see a dentist right away. If the pain prevents you from eating or sleeping, you need to be seen right away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There are a number of specific issues with your teeth that would also tell you it’s time to call the dentist. Let’s take a closer look.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The simplest fact is that your teeth shouldn’t hurt. If you have a tooth that is aching or has sharp pain, there’s a problem. It’s your mouth telling you something is wrong.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If your pain:<\/p>\n
You should make an appointment to see the dentist as quickly as possible. An aching tooth<\/a> can mean a number of different things. The one that’s for sure, the aching tooth won’t fix itself and it’s sure to get worse by ignoring the problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n A cracked tooth or a chipped tooth is another potential emergency for your mouth. You can crack or chip a tooth by biting down on or chewing something hard.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you’re a person who clenches their teeth or grinds them, a chip or crack can happen from the pressure on your teeth from these actions.\u00a0<\/p>\n A chipped or broken tooth needs to be addressed before it becomes worse. If you have it looked at it right away, you might be able to save the tooth with a crown.<\/p>\n Of course, you know baby teeth loosen and come out naturally. This happens when the permanent tooth is ready to come in to replace the baby tooth. For the most part, this is not a concern and it’s part of growing up.\u00a0<\/p>\n However, as an adult, if you get a loose permanent tooth this can be a big issue. You don’t want to lose a permanent tooth. If a tooth is loose, you want to do everything possible to prevent moving it and having it come out of the tooth socket.\u00a0<\/p>\n See your dentist to check the integrity of the tooth.\u00a0<\/p>\n A lost permanent tooth is a genuine dental emergency and you want to see your dentist as quickly as possible. If you can locate the tooth, you want to get yourself and the tooth into the dentist right away. If you act quickly enough, your dentist may be able to save the tooth.\u00a0<\/p>\n Carefully place the missing tooth in milk. Avoid touching the root of the tooth when handling it. The dentist<\/a> may be able to place and secure the tooth back in your mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n Many people will experience sore gums or maybe even a little blood from their gums on occasion. If the soreness is mild, you might rinse your mouth carefully and keep an eye on the problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n You need to be concerned when the pain is severe and there is significant bleeding. This can be a sign of an abscess in your gums<\/a> that needs to be looked at by the dentist right away.\u00a0<\/p>\n Another potential issue that may require you to be seen by the dentist is when you have problems with the soft tissue around your mouth.\u00a0<\/p>\n A soft tissue injury can happen from:<\/p>\n If you get hit in the mouth, the soft tissue can bleed. You want the dentist to check not only the tissue but also the teeth that may have been impacted.\u00a0<\/p>\n A lost filling or crown might be an emergency because you don’t want anything to happen to the structure of the tooth that was part of the filling or crown. If a crown comes off, for example, the tooth it once covered is likely fragile.\u00a0 You could cause more damage to the tooth if you don’t get it addressed right away.<\/p>\nCracked or Chipped Tooth<\/h3>\n
Loose Permanent Tooth<\/h3>\n
Knocked Out Permanent Tooth<\/h3>\n
Abscessed or Swollen Gums<\/h3>\n
Soft Tissue Around the Mouth<\/h3>\n
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Lost Filling or Crown<\/h3>\n
Don’t Overlook a Dental Emergency Because of Dental Anxiety<\/h2>\n