Emergency Dentistry specializes in providing immediate medical attention to patients who have sustained an oral injury or suffer from severe pain or bleeding. In this article, we discuss the most common dental emergencies that require prompt treatment.
Oral trauma can occur due to physical impact to the face and can lead to:
Oral trauma or injury is always a reason to visit an emergency dental office as soon as possible to get necessary treatment, prevent subsequent tooth loss and infection, and check for hidden damage. In some cases, a patient might not have any apparent bleeding or severe pain after a trauma. However, blood vessels inside the gums or nerves and roots of the teeth might still be damaged and require medical attention before the situation leads to negative consequences, such as tooth loss. Your emergency dentist can conduct necessary examinations, including an x-ray or a scan, to determine if the teeth and gums have sustained damage due to the injury. If the trauma results in a partially broken or chipped tooth, try to collect the pieces that broke off and bring them to the dental office. In some cases, it is possible to bond the broken-off pieces to the tooth and restore its structure.
If your jaw is broken or dislocated, you might experience acute pain, difficulty opening and closing your mouth, difficulty breathing, and bleeding. Do not try to “fix” a dislocated jaw on your own. Only a professional can effectively and safely treat this type of injury. Most fractures require surgery or wiring.
If your tooth gets completely knocked out of its socket due to an impact on the face or jaw, you must get to an emergency dental office within 20 to 60 minutes. Store the knocked-out tooth in a clean container, if possible, with milk or saliva, and bring it to the dental office. Do not clean your knocked-out tooth with water. If you act swiftly, your dentist might be able to place the tooth back in its socket so it can heal over time. If you experience bleeding, you can try biting down on a clean piece of gauze.
Acute and persistent toothache is typically a sign of severe tooth decay that has started to damage the nerves of the tooth. To prevent the infection from causing tooth loss and spreading to the surrounding teeth and gum tissue, we recommend seeing an emergency dentist right away. In some cases, it might be possible to save the tooth with procedures such as root canal treatment, a dental crown, etc.
A broken dental restoration, such as a crown, a dental bridge, or a fallen-out dental filling, poses the risk of food debris and bacteria penetrating a tooth’s inner chambers and leading to infection and decay. In addition, some broken restorations can have sharp edges that might cause lacerations and sores in the soft tissue in the mouth. Any broken dental restoration should be replaced immediately.
Cysts are sacks filled with fluid that can appear on the surface of the gums or other soft tissue in the mouth. They can be relatively painless and harmless; however, in some cases, they might indicate more serious health issues, such as chronic inflammatory or virus conditions and even oral cancer. That is why cysts require immediate checkups at a dental office.
Constant bleeding of the gums most likely signifies advanced periodontal disease—a chronic infection of the gum tissue. Pus oozing from the gums is also a symptom of severe gum disease. Gum disease is a dangerous condition because it can lead to tooth loss and destroy the structure of the jaw bone. It can also cause issues with other organs in the body, such as the heart, lungs, and joints.
If you have suffered from a dental trauma or experience an acute toothache or other symptoms of a dental emergency, contact the emergency dentist in Mission Viejo as soon as possible. Our specialists will thoroughly examine your injury and offer the best course of action to help you restore and preserve your oral health. We look forward to welcoming you to our dental office.
