Healthy teeth and gums are crucial to ensuring your overall well-being. Practicing good oral hygiene helps prevent your risk of contracting severe health conditions. It also boosts your self-esteem and enables you to eat, smile, and talk properly.
Unfortunately, no matter how detailed you plan for your daily routine, dental emergencies will hit you at the most unexpected time, which can be painful. While calling emergency dentistry services may be your first move, you must also learn to take precautions to avoid further damage. This step is especially true if you can’t find help immediately.
If you want to restore your best smile and recover effectively from these situations, this article will enumerate the five common but painful dental emergencies.
1. Broken Jaw
Getting a dislocated jaw from a yawn or a massive bite may seem funny, but it’s a common problem that emergency dentistry facilities face. Many people break their jaws because of accidents, sports injuries, or falls. Besides being painful, it affects your ability to talk and eat properly.
When you break your jaw, you must immediately seek medical attention to prevent long-term damage to your teeth. Your dentist can assess the situation and help you recover. In the meantime, apply a cold compress and consult a doctor before doing anything else.
2. Knocked Out or Broken Tooth
We can damage or lose a tooth differently, like falling down the stairs, accidentally walking into a glass door, or crashing a bike. Besides being painful, this dental emergency can negatively affect your self-esteem and prevent you from chewing or talking correctly.
However, if you lose a tooth, you could still reattach it if you take immediate action. You must handle the tooth carefully and contact emergency dentistry services within 30 minutes of the incident. You should also only touch the tooth by the crown to prevent further damage.
3. Infected Tooth
An infected tooth can warrant an appointment with emergency dentistry services because it can cause a tooth abscess, a pocket of pus that forms because of a bacterial infection. If you don’t treat it, the infection can spread to the gums and even damage the nerves in your jaw.
You must immediately schedule a dental visit if you experience a persistent and severe toothache with fever or intense pain. However, if you can’t access your local dental clinic instantly, you can take over-the-counter (OTC) medications like Tylenol to help alleviate the pain.
4. Bleeding Teeth or Gums
If you notice bleeding in your mouth, it could indicate gum disease or gingivitis. This dental condition can make flossing or brushing your teeth painful and ruin self-esteem. Not immediately treating it can lead to more complications, like unwanted tooth loss. While staying calm is crucial, you should schedule emergency dentistry services immediately. Remember that the blood in your saliva could indicate advanced cancer or gum disease.
5. Mouth Sores
Mouth sores can happen when your braces rub together or because of canker sores. They’re painful and prevent you from talking and eating correctly. It can also damage the patient’s emotional well-being because they may feel embarrassed. Moreover, these unwanted sores can indicate gum disease, and early detection can help with prevention and effective treatment.
While you may think an antiseptic gel can solve the problem, we recommend consulting your dentist. You should also care for your oral health to avoid worsening mouth sores, like regular brushing and flossing, avoiding certain foods, and gargling with mouthwash.
Seeking Immediate Care
Nobody deserves to experience dental emergencies because they can be painful and psychologically damaging. You could regain your best smile by booking emergency dentistry appointments and taking the necessary precautions.
If you need emergency dentistry in Westborough for your painful situation, rush to Westborough Dental Associates! We’ll help you handle your problem and restore your best smile. Request an appointment now!