Dental emergencies do not necessarily have to be confined to teeth. Many injuries to your gums, tongue, cheeks, palate, and lips need to be treated by a dentist. Some of the things which constitute a dental emergency are:
- One or more knocked out teeth
- Accidentally displaced tooth or teeth
- Loosened teeth
- Injured cheek
- Injured inside palate
- Dislodged fixed or removable dentures
- Fractured teeth
- Injured lip
- Injured gum
A delay can mean the difference between recovery and loss of a natural tooth. Only you can determine whether the pain of your tooth will be tolerable or not. Birch Dental Practice will be there to alleviate that pain.
Swelling
Swelling can be caused many factor, however, more often than not, it can become serious issue as a result of bacterial infection. Though, swelling can be remedied at home, Birch Dental Practice is here to minimise the progression of the infection spreading.
Some of the causes for swelling can include:
Wisdom Teeth Irritation
As wisdom teeth attempt to break through the gums, swelling may occur. To relieve this pressure, dentists and oral surgeons will often recommend wisdom teeth removal surgery. To relieve some discomfort and to fight any bacteria, be sure to rinse your mouth with salty warm water every few hours. Ice packs against the side of your mouth can also alleviate the pain.
Gingivitis
This is the most common cause of puffy, red and irritated gums. Bleeding gums, especially after flossing or brushing, are also a symptom of Gingivitis. Treating Gingivitis early increases the chances are of reversing the effects of it on your dental health.
Tooth Abscess
This is often caused by extreme tooth decay at your tooth’s root and can lead to both tooth and gum swelling. It often begins simply as a toothache. Other symptoms of an abscess include bad breath, fever, teeth sensitivity and swollen glands.
Knocked Out Teeth
More than five million teeth are knocked out every year in children as well as adults. With proper emergency action, a tooth that has been knocked out of its socket can be successfully replanted and last for years.
Here is a step by step guide to saving a knocked out tooth and let Birch Dental Practice know within 30 minutes where we can take x-rays and help put the tooth back into position:
- find the tooth
- hold it by the crown (the white bit that sticks out of the gum)
- lick the tooth clean if it’s dirty, or rinse it in water
- put it back into position (adult teeth only); never try to re-insert a baby tooth
- bite on a handkerchief to hold the tooth in place
- go to see a dentist as an emergency
If you can’t put the tooth back in position, put it in milk and see a dentist straight away. The sooner a knocked-out tooth is re-implanted, the more likely it is to embed itself back into the gum.
If your child knocks out a baby tooth, you shouldn’t try to re-implant it because you may damage the adult tooth growing underneath. Let Birch Dental Practice know, and we will tell you the best suitable treatment for your child.
Extruding Teeth
As a tooth becomes loose from the socket as a result of being knocked, this is known as an extruded tooth. If the tooth is not broken and its nerve and blood vessels are still attached, the tooth may be saved.
Using local aesthetic, we will clean the area to begin the treatment process. If the tooth is intact and there is no sign of infection in the bone around it, we will guide the tooth back into the socket. An X-ray may be taken to ensure there is no root fracture.
The tooth needs to be secured in its original position by connecting it to the healthy teeth on either side. There are three ways to do this:
- Using a wire and bonding it with a composite resin material along the length of the wire
- Bonding an orthodontic bracket to each tooth and then connecting these brackets (braces) with a wire
- Using a synthetic cloth or metal mesh and bonding it to the back of the teeth involved
These materials will be left on for 7 to 10 days while the tooth heals in the socket.
Fracture - Minor / Moderate / Severe
Teeth fractures can be categorised as minor, moderate, or severe. Birch Dental will be able to ascertain whether it is ‘minor’ or ‘severe’, and then take the appropriate action.
- Minor Fractures – A minor fracture can be left alone, smoothed, or restored with a composite. Your dentist will decide after an examination.
- Moderate Fractures – A moderate fracture involves damage to the enamel (the covering on the visible part), the dentin (the outer layer of the root or part under the gum), and possibly to the pulp inside the tooth. If the pulp does not suffer permanent damage, the tooth can be restored with a full permanent crown. Damaged pulp needs more treatment.
- Severe Fracture – A severe fracture is often not repairable. Birch Dental will be able ascertain the best treatment for you.
Emergency Crown Work - Lost or Loose Crowns
Sometimes, fillings or crowns fall out. In some cases, a filling or crown may come loose because there is decay underneath it. The decay destroys part of the tooth, so it no longer has a tight hold on the crown or filling.
A lost filling or crown is rarely an emergency. However, it can be painful because the exposed tooth tissue is often sensitive to temperature, pressure or air. If you lose a crown, put it in a safe place and make an appointment with Birch Dental Practice as soon as possible.
What is left of the tooth will not be as strong as the crown itself. It could be damaged more without the crown to protect it. Also, when a crown is missing for a long time, your teeth may move into the space where the crown was. If this happens, your crown may no longer fit.
In the mean time, before Birch Dental can help put the crown back together, here’s what you can do:
Apply a little clove oil to the sensitive area with a cotton swab. This will give you pain relief. You can buy clove oil in drugstores or in the spice aisles of many supermarkets.
If you’ve lost the filling or crown, you can put over-the-counter dental cement directly on the tooth surface. This will help to protect and seal the area until you’re able to see your dentist.
Broken Dentures
Dentures don’t have to just break or become damaged when dropped on hard surfaces; they can also succumb to general wear and tear. Partial dentures damage can occur if the patient bites down to fit them into place. This bends the clasps that attach the dentures to the natural teeth.
Birch Dental Practice can fix damaged or broken false teeth. Attempting to fix them yourself can be dangerous to your health. Attempting to repair damaged dentures yourself can lead to irritation and mouth sores that need additional oral maintenance.
Contact Birch Dental Practice, and we will fix any damaged or broken dentures to bring your smile back to life.