Albertville, AL
If you experience a medical emergency, you know to go to the emergency room. But what about a dental emergency? The physicians and other personnel at a hospital do not, in many cases, have the specialized training to deal with dental emergencies. Today on the blog, we take a look at dental emergencies, what they are, and when you should seek the care of your emergency dentist in Gadsden.
When does a dental emergency happen?
A dental injury is the most common situation that leads to a dental emergency. These injuries usually entail abrupt damage to your face or mouth, biting or chewing something hard, an unfortunate slip and fall, or a sports-related accident. You may be unsure when oral health injuries require immediate care, and when you can wait. Read on as we explore three times when you should call your emergency dentist.
The most common types of dental emergency
- Tooth knocked out of the socket. Also known as a dental avulsion, this unfortunate event can be caused by a range of factors, from severe gum disease to an injury sustained to the mouth or jaw. If you lose a tooth in this way, promptly clean the tooth of any excess dirt or blood, then store it in a cup of milk or place it back in the socket, then bite down gently on some moist gauze on your way to the dentist. Sometimes, an avulsed tooth can be returned to its socket.
- Exposed dental nerve: What do a cracked tooth, a chipped tooth, or the failure of a dental restoration have in common? All three can expose the dental nerve in a tooth. If you experience this, you’ll know. The pain from this injury can be quite severe. Moreover, your damaged tooth can be vulnerable to additional harm if you do not seek prompt treatment from your Gadsden emergency dentist.
- Continuous tooth pain: Your teeth weren’t designed to hurt without cause. When they do, it’s often a sign that something potentially serious is going on beneath the surface. The possible causes could include the aforementioned exposed nerve, damage due to decay or an abscess. The latter is a potentially dangerous infection that develops at the root of an already infected tooth. An abscess can be life-threatening, if the infected matter seeps into the bloodstream, potentially causing organ failure or death if the untreated infection spreads to your heart or brain. For these reasons, it’s worthwhile to contact your Albertville emergency dentist.
Situations where you should seek the immediate care of an emergency dentist include, but are not limited to, the following:
- A toothache
- A filling or crown that cracks, becomes loose or falls out
- A cracked or broken tooth
How do I find an emergency dentist near me?
We hope that you never experience a dental emergency while traveling, but if you do and this happens in the areas of Albertville and Gadsden in Alabama, then the team at Wall Street Dentistry is here to help. We can schedule same-day appointments in emergency situations. To find out more about our services, call (256) 878-0525 or complete our online contact form.