Defining the Role of Emergency Dentistry

Dentistry is a wide medical field. A lot has to be accounted for when it comes to taking care of the mouth. It is not just the teeth that require dental attention. Dentistry covers examination and treatment of the gums, jawbone, teeth, tonsils, throat, to mention a few. Emergency dentistry is one of the important areas of dental care that caters to the different components of the human mouth.

What is Emergency Dentistry?

It is a facet of dentistry that addresses emergencies relating to dental care. It is specifically built to manage, treat and cure oral problems that happen abruptly. Conditions considered for emergency treatment are often urgent and, and sometimes even threatening to the entire oral health of the mouth.

What Problems Should Be Considered for Emergency Dentistry?

It is not every time that you rush to a dental facility requesting emergency services. For that to happen, you must have a pressing need that requires dire attention by a dental expert. Examples of such problems are such as:

• Severe toothache – sometimes the pain levels of a toothache can be unbearable. In such a case, the toothache should be considered a dental emergency.
• Knocked-out teeth – a mature tooth is built for permanency. In a case that it falls off, then there must be an underlying oral problem. Otherwise, the external impact on your face and jawbone can as well weaken a tooth’s foundation. If one of your teeth gets knocked out, consider it an urgent matter that requires emergency care. Such a tooth is subject to excessive bleeding, fractured jawbone, swelling, to mention a few.
• Broken tooth – other than your tooth falling off, it can break. Some breakages can significantly compromise the structure of your teeth. It also tampers with the functionality of your tooth.
• Excessive bleeding – dental bleeding is always controlled. This is because the mouth has its mechanism of controlling the bleeding that happens inside. However, if you are experiencing bleeding that is out of the norm, it could be a serious underlying problem. It could be a sign of a badly knocked out tooth, damaged blood vessels or periodontal disease.
• Jaw lock – this rarely happens. It is usually caused by the temporomandibular joint disorder. Before considering forceful closure of the mouth that can have other negative impacts, have it checked in an emergency dental facility.
• Tears in the mouth – sometimes the membranes of the mouth can tear apart. This is often as a result of injuries and accidents. Such tears not only cause excessive bleeding and pain, but they can also be a source of major infection in your mouth. For this reason, you must not wait to get your tears looked at, whether they happen inside or outside your mouth.
• Dental related migraine headaches – headaches happen due to different reasons. If by any chance you can relate the headaches you are having to your dentition, then seek immediate medical assistance. Sometimes these migraines are a result of temporomandibular joint disorders or toothaches. They tend to be severely painful, recurrent and even unbearable.

How To Know You Need Emergency Dental Care

There isn’t a particular guideline for what cuts it as a dental emergency. However, some factors can help you narrow down to how dire your situation:

• Can your condition wait until a later time?
• Is the rest of your oral health or even overall body health at risk of infection and sabotage?
• Is the pain you are experiencing bearable?
• Is there an opportunity to save your natural teeth instead of work in a remedy?

What is The Importance of Emergency Dentistry?

Other than having all the aforementioned dental problems handled, emergency dental care has some of its benefits, including the following:

• Preventing and slowing the progression of oral problems that could escalate.
• Saving as many natural teeth as possible.
• Eliminating the risk of infection and mitigating the already infected areas of your mouth.
• Alleviating pain levels.
• Controlling bleeding and tissue damage.

Summary

There is no dental facet that can replace emergency dentistry. The kind of treatment offered on an emergency center for dental care is not at all similar to other specialties. Therefore, be not afraid to seek abrupt dental help if that is exactly what you need at the time.