Nothing is worse than realizing you have an injury or problem with your mouth. Most people find it challenging to discern whether their oral problem is a dental emergency or if it can wait to be addressed by our dentist near West End. Often, you can alleviate some of your painful symptoms with some at-home remedies, but other times, you need to contact our emergency dentist immediately.
To help you determine what to do during a potential dental emergency, our team at Abba Dental has put together this article that outlines ten common dental emergencies.
1. Loose Teeth
If you are over 10 and all your adult teeth have emerged, you should never have a loose tooth. If you have had a fall involving your mouth, one or several teeth may become loose. If this is the case, you should visit our dentist in Downtown Vancouver as soon as possible. Ensuring that your jaw or other essential anatomy parts are not broken or detrimentally injured is a good idea.
2. Knocked-Out Tooth
If your tooth is knocked out, avoid touching it by the roots at all costs. Pick it from the crown and carefully place it back into its socket. If you cannot do this or are uncomfortable doing this without the assistance of our dentist near you, place it in a shallow container of milk until you can get to a dental office.
3. Infection
Infections will not subside on their own. Infection is a sign of something wrong with your body, and if you think you have an infection, call our dentist as soon as possible.
4. Toothache
The extent and type of pain you experience change how you should handle it. If you notice pain when biting down, it could result from a cracked tooth. If you have minimal pain, manage it with over-the-counter pain medication until you can see our dentist for a comprehensive examination.
5. Tooth Sensitivity
You may deal with tooth sensitivity if you notice pain when ingesting hot or cold beverages. While this isn’t an emergency, you should get it examined as soon as possible. In the meantime, use toothpaste designed for tooth sensitivity.
6. Gum Abscess
These don’t often appear to be an emergency at first. Most of the time, a gum abscess looks like a pimple. An abscess indicates that your tooth or gums are infected and require a root canal or tooth extraction. If you notice a gum abscess, immediately contact our emergency dentist near you. If left untreated, an abscess can cause serious problems for your overall health.
7. Bleeding
If you notice bleeding when brushing or flossing, take this seriously and contact our dentist as soon as possible to investigate the cause.
8. Broken Tooth
While a broken tooth is frustrating, it is usually not detrimental. If you have a small chip, you can wait to see our dentist, but if you have a large break and are dealing with a lot of pain, visit our dentist as soon as possible.
9. Swelling
While swelling is common, it is never a good sign. Swelling could indicate infection and needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.
10. Mouth Sores
Mouth sores can be caused by canker sores or hand, foot, and mouth disease. A sore in your mouth can also be caused by gum disease. While not necessarily an emergency, sores can be very painful, so it is wise to visit our dentist when dealing with them.