Emergency Dental Treatments.

Emergency dental treatments are very vital. Emergencies involving the teeth require immediate treatments because they are extremely painful and cause a lot of discomfort. Teeth may become fractured by traumatic events, grinding or biting on hard objects or even pain resulting from damaged restorative materials such as crowns and braces. Without treatment, the pain caused by dental emergencies worsens and this puts physical health at great risk.

Visiting a dentist after a dental emergency is very important as it ensures that further damage to the teeth is avoided. Below are some common dental emergencies and how to deal with them.

• Avulsed tooth (tooth knocked out). I f a tooth has been knocked out of its socket it is advisable to locate the tooth, clean it up to remove any debris. After cleaning the tooth should be placed between the gum and the cheek and not in its socket. The tooth should be placed back into its socket by a dentist within an hour. This would ensure a high probability of the tissues growing back to support the tooth again. If the tooth is unable to attach to the tissues properly, root canal therapy would be applied.
• If the tooth is fractured, it would be treated depending on the criticality. A minor fracture can be easily fixed by a dentist using sandpaper. Moderate fractures damage the gums and cause infections in the pulp. If this happens, there is need to undergo a root canal procedure. Fractures, cracks and breaks of the teeth require urgent medical attention. Where a segment of tooth has been broken off, the fragment should be rinsed in warm water, a cold towel should be placed to the cheek to reduce swelling and also a pain reliever could be used to reduce the pain experienced. In case of a complete break of the tooth, the dentist fixes the fragment temporarily back to the tooth.
• If the emergency is due to a crown that has dropped out from the mouth, the crown should be placed in a clean place as it could be reinserted by a dentist. In case of any decay, a new crown would be made for the tooth.
• In case of a dislodged or a loose tooth due to trauma or tooth decay one should see the dentist immediately. The dentist would reposition the tooth and stabilize it by adding splints. If this fails, root canal therapy would be applied.