Emergency Dental Las Vegas can occur at any time. Knowing the signs of a dental emergency and when to seek treatment is important.
Any extreme tooth or mouth pain should be treated immediately. This includes a loose or knocked-out tooth (try to keep a loose tooth in place if possible and rehydrate). Other emergencies include severe bleeding or jaw fractures.
A toothache is one of the most common dental emergencies. It occurs when the central portion of a tooth, called the pulp, becomes inflamed. This inflammation may be caused by a cavity that has eaten through the enamel and dentin layers to reach the pulp, or it can occur from irritation of the nerve endings. Trauma, such as a cracked or chipped tooth, can also cause pain. A toothache can be very painful, and it is important to seek treatment as soon as possible. Delaying treatment can lead to irreversible damage and more expensive or invasive procedures later on.
If you are experiencing a severe toothache, the first thing you should do is rinse your mouth with warm water and use dental floss to remove any food stuck between the teeth. If this doesn’t alleviate the pain, try taking over-the-counter pain relief medication such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. You can also apply a topical gel or ointment that can help reduce swelling and pain. In addition, you can use an ice pack on the affected area to ease the pain. However, it is important to remember that these remedies only provide temporary relief and that you must visit the emergency dentist to address the underlying issue.
Although not all toothaches are considered a dental emergency, you should always call the dentist if you have an emergency. The dentist can refer you to an emergency room if necessary, or they can schedule you for an in-office appointment during regular business hours. It is also important to remember that if your toothache is accompanied by a fever, chills, or a facial rash, it may be a medical emergency that requires immediate care.
There are many things that can cause a toothache, from playing sports to biting down on something hard. Many of these causes are preventable, so it is important to take good care of your teeth. It is also a good idea to have an emergency dentist on hand to handle any problems that may arise, such as a toothache or a broken tooth. By following these tips, you can avoid most dental emergencies.
Broken Tooth
Sometimes, it’s difficult to tell whether a dental problem requires immediate attention or can wait. Some patients hesitate to call their dentist for fear of being considered an emergency, and others are unsure when it’s time to visit an emergency room. In reality, many dental problems that are not addressed quickly enough can lead to severe pain, a dangerous infection or other serious health complications.
A broken tooth is a dental emergency because it exposes the underlying nerve to bacteria and can cause painful swelling or infection. It can also lead to more expensive and invasive treatments down the road. A broken tooth can be treated with sugarless chewing gum, orthodontic dental wax or dental cement. In addition, a patient should rinse with warm water and apply pressure to control bleeding. If possible, a patient should try to insert the tooth back into its socket. If this is not possible, the tooth can be stored in salvia, pasteurized milk or saline solution.
If a patient is not in severe pain, they should take an over-the-counter pain reliever and avoid biting down on the tooth or surrounding tissues. A cold compress can also be used to reduce swelling and discomfort. In some cases, a dental professional may advise a patient to place a temporary filling over the broken part of the tooth.
Many people are surprised to learn that a cracked or chipped tooth is not necessarily a dental emergency, but it should be treated as soon as possible. A cracked tooth can crack further if it is not treated, which can cause a lot of pain and require more invasive procedures in the future.
Most fractures of the tooth are not emergencies, but a very large crack is an emergency and should be seen immediately. It is also a good idea to seek medical help at an emergency room if you experience a large crack or a significant amount of blood loss. The ER will not have a dental professional on staff and could end up prescribing painkillers or antibiotics that do not address the root cause of the problem.
Tooth Extraction
Dental fillings and crowns are normally the treatment of choice for damaged teeth, but if tooth decay has reached a critical point where a root canal cannot restore it, emergency extraction may be needed to relieve pain and prevent a more serious infection. A cracked or fractured tooth can also cause intense pain and may require immediate removal to prevent a worsening of the condition. A bacterial abscess is another case where surgery may be necessary to drain the pocket of pus that is causing severe infection and that antibiotics can’t cure.
Tooth impaction is a common dental problem where a tooth fails to emerge properly from the gums, preventing it from being able to chew or to straighten itself out. It is often caused by crowded teeth, but it can be caused by trauma or other factors as well.
An emergency dentist can quickly and safely remove an impacted tooth, but he or she may need to first cut away the gum tissue or bone that is covering the tooth. He or she will then use forceps to grip the tooth and rock it back and forth to loosen it from its socket. This process is very quick, and the person may not feel much more than a slight tug on the tooth.
After the tooth has been removed, he or she will likely place a piece of gauze over the socket and ask the person to bite down with firm pressure for 30 minutes to help speed up healing by forming a blood clot. This reduces the risk of dry socket.
A patient should avoid rinsing his or her mouth or spitting during this recovery period as these actions can disrupt the blood clot that is protecting the tooth socket and lead to an infection. The doctor can prescribe over-the-counter or prescription pain medication to help the person manage any discomfort. The patient should also refrain from smoking or using a straw as these activities can interfere with the formation of a clot. The patient should begin eating soft foods slowly after a few days and chew on the opposite side of the mouth to prevent the site from becoming painful.
Infections
Dental infections are a serious problem and can lead to severe pain, swelling, infection of other parts of the face and the rest of the body and even life-threatening sepsis. These problems should be dealt with as soon as possible to prevent them from getting worse. This can include a dental abscess, which is pus that gathers in the gum tissue and looks like a bump on the gums. It may also be accompanied by other symptoms such as fever, swollen glands and pain.
Emergency dentists are trained to treat all sorts of tooth and gum issues, including infections. They will use a variety of medications and drainage procedures to eliminate the bacteria and stop the infection from spreading. They can also perform root canal therapy to restore the health of an infected tooth and prevent it from becoming irreparable.
The etiology of the most common dental emergencies is biologically mediated and includes bacterial or fungal infections, and mechanically mediated such as dental fracture, luxation and avulsion or when dental treatment leads to pulpal and periodontal complications and pain. Dental emergencies are also a significant risk factor for more complex and serious infections in the neck or jaw and other areas of the body, such as the brain, face, and the deep space around the sinuses.
Infections in the mouth are a common complication of poor oral hygiene and can cause severe pain and swelling. They are usually caused by bacteria that enter the tooth through a crack or cavity and start to multiply. If left untreated, the infection can spread to other parts of the body, such as the heart and brain. A dental abscess is a condition where pus gathers in the tooth and can be extremely painful. It can also cause other serious symptoms such as swollen glands, fever, and tooth decay in the surrounding teeth. The treatment for a dental abscess involves draining the pus from the tooth, cleaning and filling it with a material called gutta-percha, and then restoring the damaged tooth. This will usually involve a root canal therapy or tooth extraction.
