Many things can go wrong in your mouth. While many things can be handled without the need for urgent dental care, sometimes a problem you’re dealing with is a true emergency, and you shouldn’t wait for it to improve. Knowing what is and isn’t a dental emergency will help you know when it’s a good idea to find an emergency dentist in Peabody and get treatment.
What is the Most Common Dental Emergency?
There are several types of dental emergencies, but here are some of the most common.
Toothache
The top of the list of dental emergencies is a toothache. Unfortunately, many people will let a toothache go for days or even weeks until the pain is so severe that they have no choice but to go to a dentist’s office for emergency dental care. There are ways to manage a toothache without an emergency dentist, but you should always monitor your symptoms and be sure not to let it get too bad. A toothache can signify something serious is wrong with your teeth, such as nerve damage or infection.
Not only is it painful if left untreated by an emergency dentist near you, but it can also lead to problems throughout your entire mouth or even your entire body if the infection from the tooth gets worse and spreads throughout the rest of your body.
Broken Tooth
A broken tooth is another very painful situation that can require an emergency dentist in Peabody. When the tooth breaks off, it typically exposes the inner part of the tooth, and the further down the break is, the more likely it will expose the nerve of the tooth. This can be excruciating, and there’s no real way to treat it at home because of the nature of the damage.
Other times you may have a sideways fracture in the tooth that can be equally as damaging and as painful. When this happens, urgent dental care is your only choice.
Lost Dental Equipment
Losing a piece of dental equipment you were prescribed may not seem like that big of a deal, but the truth is, it is very serious. That’s why you must ensure that you always keep track of your retainers, bridges, and other items were given to you by the dentist. The truth is, going without some of these appliances for even a day can cause drastic changes to the way your mouth functions, like having your teeth start to shift because you lost your retainer.
Does a Toothache Count as a Dental Emergency?
Yes, as you see from our list of the most common dental emergencies, a toothache is the most common. The trouble is that many people overlook a toothache until it becomes much more serious than it should have been in the first place. Toothache is a sign that something unseen is wrong with a tooth; the longer it persists, the worse the problem may get.
The worst type of situation for a patient is an unexplainable toothache that gradually worsens until you’re in severe pain or the tooth develops an abscess or other major problem. While it is possible to treat the pain from a toothache at home, you can’t treat the underlying cause by yourself; you need an emergency dentist.
How Can I Stop Unbearable Tooth Pain?
If you have a severe toothache and the pain won’t go away, and you can’t seem to find a 24-hour dentist, then there are some things you can try to ease the pain.
Rinsing
Rinsing out the area of the tooth with salt water or saline solution can help to alleviate the pain as it can clean debris from the area around the tooth, which may be irritating, and take some of the pressure off the tooth. Salt water also helps to kill bacteria, a source of tooth pain.
Warm Compress
You may also try applying a warm compress to the area where the tooth is, outside the mouth. This can help reduce swelling and discomfort long enough for you to reach a dentist in Peabody to help you.
Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers
If the pain is too much to handle or you want to go about your day without being in as much pain, you can try over-the-counter pain relievers such as Ibuprofen to help ease the pain until you get dental treatment.