When Do You Need Emergency Dental Care?

What Are Dental Emergencies?

Any discomfort in your oral cavity that might lead to loss of teeth or affect your overall health is considered a dental emergency by all dentists. For example, a minor toothache late in the evening might indicate food particles trapped between your teeth. The toothache might not need emergency treatment from the dentist near me if you can manage it by brushing and flossing or using over-the-counter painkillers. Unfortunately, if you have an untreated cavity that begins with excruciating discomfort to give you a sleepless night, you cannot ignore the condition because the bacteria in the cavity might have affected the dental pulp. In such cases, you help yourself by visiting an emergency dentist nearby or far away to deal with a severe infection in your tooth that needs the fearsome root canal treatment.

Dental emergencies come in various forms and can confuse even the most strong-hearted. The thought of losing your teeth or investing in expensive dental treatments from the emergency dentist near me can burden you physically and financially besides the discomfort in your mouth. Therefore instead of planning for emergency dental visits beyond office hours, the better option for you is to schedule regular appointments with your dentist to stay over your dental health.

Common Types of Dental Emergencies

Dental emergencies can strike in various forms. Besides the all-familiar toothaches, you might also have a family member with lost fillings or crowns, fractured and broken teeth, or even a knocked-out tooth.

You might think a lost filling is a minor affair and can wait for a couple of days until you find time to see your regular dentist to have the tooth restored. Unfortunately, do you think the bacteria in your mouth that created the cavity will schedule an appointment with your tooth before re-infecting it again? Instead, the bacteria begin working immediately by penetrating the cavity and creating more damage. Therefore the optimal option for you is to contact the emergency dentist in North Austin, TX, and take your family member to them to get the cavity restored. The prompt attention on your part prevents expansion of the hole and inhibits the bacteria from creating further damage. It also saves you a considerable sum on expensive treatments your family member might need later.

A painless fractured tooth can wait for a couple of days and does not need treatment from an emergency dentist. Unfortunately, if the fracture has extended below the gum line, your family member needs prompt treatment from an emergency dentist who may either repair the tooth or extract it to prevent further problems.

A knocked-out permanent tooth needs dental care within 30 minutes for the reinsertion back into its socket. Therefore, if you are confronted with a situation, contact the emergency dentist nearby for instructions on managing the condition. You will likely receive instructions to collect the knocked-out tooth, rinse it, place it between your gums or a milk container and rush to the dental facility immediately. If you manage to get to the dentist as recommended, they can splint the tooth to the neighboring teeth. Unfortunately, if you can’t, the only alternative available for you is to search for replacement options in dentures, dental implants, or bridges.

Dental emergencies never strike by providing any warnings. In reality, they are famous for making their presence felt late in the evenings, holidays, on weekends. If you wish to avoid emergency dental visits, the optimal option for you is to schedule regular appointments with Peak Dental — North Austin to ensure everything is fine with your oral cavity and prevent unnecessary stress and expenditure late in the evenings.