The average full-time dentist works anywhere from 35 to 40 hours a week. Dental offices are usually open Monday through Friday and, sometimes, on weekends. Most offices operate during normal business hours (8 am to 5 pm).
But what happens if you have an emergency outside of normal dental office hours? Luckily, an emergency dentist can help. Emergency dentistry addresses urgent problems that mean patients just can’t wait for care.
Yet, not every problem with your teeth and gums qualifies as a dental emergency. Today, we want to help you figure out the top signs and symptoms of needing emergency dentistry.
Are you wondering what does and does not count as an urgent dental issue? If so, you need to keep reading this complete guide. Plus, stick around to find an emergency dentist in Colorado Springs.
A dental emergency is a situation where you need care outside of normal business hours. But that does not mean they must happen during these times. Any time you experience a problem that needs urgent attention qualifies.
Getting care as soon as possible is critical for saving your oral health. The issues we are about to talk about next may lead to complications or reduce their treatability if not addressed.
For example, say a patient’s adult tooth gets knocked out. Without the root, the tooth will begin to die within five minutes to an hour. Getting care immediately can save your real tooth and countless dollars on implants.
Think you might be dealing with an urgent oral issue but aren’t sure? Here are the top dental emergencies and what they may mean about your oral health.
Bleeding gums after brushing or flossing is relatively normal, especially if you only bleed a little or bleed infrequently. Eating sugary foods or not flossing regularly can increase the risk of minor bleeding.
However, excessive bleeding or bleeding that will not stop is a serious issue that requires attention now. The same is true of bleeding that is accompanied by severe pain or a swollen jaw.
Often, excessive or prolonged bleeding happens due to gum disease. Also known as periodontitis or periodontal disease, gum disease is a chronic infection that can cause your gum tissue to deteriorate.
There are many causes of gum disease. But the most common one is poor oral hygiene. If you start to notice bleeding gums that re-occur frequently, it may be a sign that you are in the early stages of periodontitis.
Start brushing and flossing at least twice a day if you are not already. And do not forget to schedule professional dental cleanings twice a year to avoid plaque and tartar buildup, which makes it harder to clean your teeth.
Pain is the body’s way of letting us know that something is wrong. The more significant your pain, the more likely something is very wrong. That is why you should never ignore severe dental pain that happens with no known cause.
A painful toothache can be a sign of many different dental issues. Gum disease is one of them. A dental abscess is another, and, as we discussed earlier, dental abscesses are not to be ignored.
Other symptoms that come along with an abscess are fever, extreme tooth sensitivity, and swelling of the gums or cheeks. A salty, sour, or metallic taste in your mouth may be a sign of a ruptured abscess.
Something else you do not want to ignore is extreme tooth sensitivity. Mild sensitivity may happen due to worn-down enamel, which is relatively normal. However, in some cases, it is a sign of an exposed tooth root.
Roots can become exposed from brushing too hard, and it is also a symptom of gum disease. No matter what the cause, extremely sensitive teeth may mean it is time to run an ‘emergency dentist near me‘ search.
Swelling is a symptom of the immune system doing its job. But it is also a sign that your immune system is fighting off an infection. If you experience swelling around the mouth or jaw, it may be a sign of a severe bacterial infestation.
Swelling accompanies by significant pain, especially in the jaw, means you need to call your dentist immediately. Swollen and painful jaws or teeth may indicate one or more of the following issues:
Dental abscesses are painful bumps that can pop up on the gums, inside teeth, or on the jawbone. The bumps may appear white because they are full of puss. If left untreated, the infection causing the abscess can be life-threatening.
Pericoronitis is an infection that happens to impacted wisdom teeth. Symptoms include inflammation, discharge, and smelly breath. If you have pericoronitis, your dentist will have to remove the wisdom tooth to eliminate the infection.
In rare cases, a swollen jaw may indicate a cyst. These fluid- or air-filled bumps can come with tobacco or alcohol use, malnutrition, or poor hygiene. Cysts can be cancerous, but even if they aren’t, they must be removed.
Small chips and cracks are not a dental emergency (more on why in a moment). It is not a pediatric dentistry emergency if your child’s baby tooth falls out or even gets knocked out unless there is severe pain.
But if your tooth is significantly broken, you have a loose permanent tooth, or your tooth falls out or gets knocked out, call your dentist ASAP. Your dentist can help ease any pain and replace your tooth.
You should never lose an adult tooth naturally. Gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults. Cavities and certain chronic diseases (diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis) can also lead to the loss of permanent teeth.
Of course, it is not unknown for adults to have a permanent tooth knocked out. Physical injury or trauma to the mouth can lead to tooth loss. If you lose an adult tooth, put it in a glass of milk while you wait for your appointment.
Milk can help preserve the tooth. As long as the tooth remains healthy, your dentist can likely reinsert it into your mouth. That will save you countless dollars on implants, which cost an average of $5,000 per replacement.
Abscesses are not the only types of bumps that can pop up in your mouth. Other common causes of oral growths and sores include but are not limited to the following:
Lumps and sores in the mouth are not always a sign of concern. However, it is something to worry about when they re-occur or never go away. These could be symptoms of oral cancer.
An emergency dentist can help diagnose exactly what kind of growth or sore you are dealing with. They supplement visual screenings (i.e., looking for abnormalities by eye) with a VELscope.
VELscopes can ID cancerous and pre-cancerous cells. If the dentist does identify something suspicious, he or she can refer you to an ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctor.
Some bad tastes in the mouth are dental emergencies, but others are not. For example, a bad taste in your mouth could be a sign of poor oral hygiene. Trapped food in your teeth can start to taste bad after a while.
Yet, as long as you don’t also experience pain or swelling, this is not a dental crisis. Another non-concerning cause of a bad taste in the mouth is xerostomia (dry mouth).
Here’s another example. Say you have a metallic taste in your mouth, which could be due to a dental abscess or oral thrush. But it could also signal that your silver filling is cracking or about to fall out.
As we’ve discussed, loose or lost fillings are not dental emergencies, while dental abscesses are. What we haven’t discussed is oral thrush. Oral thrush is a type of yeast infection that can taste cottony or metallic.
Oral thrush will not clear up on its own. You have to see your dentist to get on an antifungal medication to get rid of the infection and that nasty taste in your mouth.
Sometimes, a bad taste in your mouth is a sign of an underlying physical condition. Your dentist may not be able to treat conditions like hepatitis or respiratory infections, but they can help rule out other potential causes.
Now that you understand the symptoms that do qualify for emergency dentistry, you may be wondering what doesn’t count. You can put off some dental crises without causing immediate complications.
While the following three dental problems may feel like an emergency, you can wait to call your dentist until normal business hours.
Eating hard foods, wear and tear, and age are all common reasons for a filling to become loose or fall out. In rare cases, fillings may come loose or fall out because of improper preparation or installation on the dentist’s part.
You can usually wait up to three days before seeing your dentist after losing a filling or crown. The only exception is if you are experiencing severe pain or significant sensitivity around the tooth that is missing its filling.
While you wait for your appointment, make sure to practice good oral hygiene. Avoid foods and beverages that may cause decay if your filling falls out. Try not to eat hard foods that could damage a loose filling.
A moderate to severe toothache may be a sign of concern, but a toothache that features mild pain is not. It could be a sign that your enamel is wearing down. Or it could be a reaction to consuming very hot or cold foods and beverages.
Either way, these are not urgent issues. You can wait at least a few days before getting dental care without further damaging your enamel. Take over-the-counter painkillers or ice the affected tooth if needed.
However, even a mild toothache can be a reason for concern if it lasts longer than a few days. The toothache could be a symptom of an infection. Leaving it untreated for too long could allow the infection to spread further.
Getting small chips and cracks is a relatively common cosmetic dentistry issue. It can happen from eating or biting hard foods and objects, falls, and consuming acidic foods and beverages consistently and frequently.
Age also makes it more likely to chip or crack your tooth from normal daily use. And people who are deficient in vitamin D and other essential nutrients may also be prone to tooth chips and cracks.
Tooth cracks and chips can spread or make your teeth more likely to get damaged in the future. However, this is not an immediate danger. You can wait until normal business hours to schedule an appointment with your dentist.
Severe pain, bleeding, jaw swelling, broken or lost teeth, oral growths, and strange tastes are the top symptoms of a dental emergency. You should call your dentist immediately, even if it is outside of normal business hours.
Lost fillings, mild toothaches, and small chips or cracks are not dental emergencies. You can wait until your dentist’s office reopens to schedule your appointment.
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