In order to stay safe and healthy, it is important to always be on the lookout for potential accidents that could happen to you, and try your best to avoid them. Sadly though, it is impossible to avoid some accidents no matter how alert we are, and depending on the nature of the accident, the results can be quite serious. If you suffer an accident that affects a part of your body such as your head or torso, then you’d be best off contacting your nearest accident and emergency department. But what if the injury affects your teeth? Contacting a dentist is a good idea, but it is worth noting that routine dental appointments can often take a few days to organise. This is where emergency dental treatment comes in and by contacting an emergency dentist, you will be able to receive an appointment to assess your dental emergency as soon as possible.
This does raise the question though of what counts as a dental emergency? This is an important question as knowing the answer can make sure that you know to go to an emergency dentist when it is necessary, so that your teeth and mouth can be seen quickly.
What counts as a dental emergency?
There are a few different things than can be classified as a dental emergency and would justify you seeing an emergency dentist. One common and fairly well known example is having a broken tooth. A tooth can break for a number of reasons, including getting into an accident but also including tooth decay. In particular, a broken tooth may require treatment if the break has led to bleeding, or if it has knocked a broken, sharp edge of the tooth out of its original position. A broken and sharp edge can potentially cause damage to the tongue or lips if left untreated.
Having an extruded tooth is also a good reason to go and see an emergency dentist. This is a type of dental injury wherein an impact has caused a tooth (or multiple teeth) to become displaced or be shifted away from its original position in the mouth. Often an extruded tooth is characterised by it hanging in the mouth from only thin threads of tissue. Getting this type of dental injury looked at by an emergency dentist is important, because it will otherwise be very difficult and potentially painful to keep the tooth in place.
One dental emergency that you may not have heard of is having an avulsed tooth or avulsed teeth. The term “avulsed tooth” refers to any tooth that has been completely knocked out of the mouth. An injury like this will be very noticeable, both due to the fact that it will cause you a lot of pain and also because it will likely cause your mouth to bleed significantly. Contacting and going to an emergency dentist in this scenario is of course very important, however it is also important to, as quickly as possible, locate and keep the avulsed tooth/teeth safe from any further damage so that it can be reattached and saved.
