Protect Your Smile with Emergency Dentistry

If you have been involved in a serious accident and your teeth have been impacted, you need to get to a dentist who is trained in emergency dentistry in a hurry. If you have a sore tooth that has cost you a few nights’ sleep, you may also be a good candidate for an emergency procedure. While no one wants to visit a dentist at 2:00 A.M., there are times when people simply need to get treatment for their issue to alleviate their pain.

What is a Dental Emergency and What to Do

A dental emergency consists of a severe oral trauma of the hard or soft tissues in the mouth. It may also include excruciating pain due to deep decay or external forces applied within the facial area such as getting hit during a car accident. Serious situations, such as broken bones, severely bitten lips and cheeks, or deep lacerations to the skin, warrant admittance to the hospital. Less serious oral and dental injuries can be successfully treated with the help of an emergency dentist in Philadelphia.

Sounding the Dental Emergency SOS?

Some dental problems tend to be a precursor for severe health issues down the line, and as such, prevention is stressed as a long-term solution. But sometimes, the help of an emergency dentist can still become necessary despite the best prevention efforts. Here’s what you can do for certain dental issues prior to seeking professional help:

Signaling an SOS for your Dentist

The pursuit of various daily activities, especially physically-intensive ones, means the threat of damage to your teeth is ever-present. When something does happen and the pain flares up, consulting an emergency dentist in Philadelphia who is educated in the treatment of your overall health will provide you with a better defense against whatever is going on.

Visiting an emergency dentist who can provide a natural and holistic viewpoint will allow you to see the bigger picture in your situation. Mouth pains have been linked for a time to medical problems that can be more serious than a mere toothache. Using this approach attempts to better the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of your life, and visiting someone skilled at such an approach could even mean the difference between life and death.

Heart disease, stroke and osteoporosis are just three of many common issues that could be causing difficulties in your gums or teeth, both as side effects and as signs. Mouth sores and warts or other kinds of growth are common in people affected by HIV or heart disease. Furthermore, studies have linked gum disease with the presence of diabetes. If you feel anything out of the ordinary, it’s best to consult your dentist to be sure.

What Are the Causes of a Fractured Tooth?

A fractured tooth can happen to anyone and without any warning. Some of the risk factors for fractured teeth are preventable, while others cannot be controlled. An emergency dentist in Philadelphia may be able to offer care for a tooth that has been fractured. Understanding the most common causes of why teeth fracture helps you to lessen your risk of this type of dental emergency.

Accidents
Getting hit in the face or mouth is a common cause of tooth fractures. This is a common occurrence during sporting events such as boxing or baseball. Falling and automobile collisions may also cause a person to fracture a tooth.

Dental Disorders
Years of teeth grinding may weaken a tooth to the point that it fractures. Malocclusion, or a misaligned bite, can create uneven pressure on teeth, especially molars. This may also cause teeth to crack. Note that a tooth may still get damaged even if it is covered by a crown. You may not even notice that a tooth that underwent root canal has fractured, so you have to regularly inspect your teeth.

Eating and Drinking
Biting into hard items or foods, including ice cubes, hard candies, crusty bread, and popcorn kernels may fracture a tooth, even the strong back molars. Chewing on pencils and other non-food items can also cause a tooth to fracture. Eating something very hot and then extremely cold could make a tooth susceptible to cracking or damage.  

Scrambling to Save a Tooth

With the various activities you undertake or participate in everyday, there’s no telling when the next move you make may result in some damage. That could be anything from blunt-force impact to something you ate or drank that ruined your teeth. In any case, going to the nearest emergency dentist in Philadelphia should be done as soon as possible.

What are the Typical Dental Emergencies?

There are times when your teeth or gums need immediate attention from a dentist. This is called a dental emergency. Here are some common occurrences that can be classified as dental emergencies.

Restoring Knocked-Out Teeth

Various outdoor activities can get too physical. This includes sports games and certain accidents where your mouth can receive much of the impact force. When at least one tooth was forced out of the socket, you will often need the assistance of an emergency dentist in Philadelphia to get it back in place.

Properly Handle a Dental Emergency

Dental emergencies can happen at any given moment. These can be tooth cracks, loosened tooth, or a completely knocked out tooth. These can be prevented by taking precautions, such as wearing protective mouth gear when playing sports or avoiding food that may harm or stain your teeth over time.

Various Dental Injuries in Sports

Playing sports involves a lot of rough-and-tumble activities. Unfortunately, these can cause injuries. Some of these injuries may involve broken or chipped teeth, which fall under the category of fracture. Fractures normally result in bleeding, making it necessary for those affected to gently bite on a towel to minimize the blood flow. Fortunately, as long as the tooth fragments were recovered and transported properly, a Philadelphia emergency dentist can restore the broken or chipped tooth.

Role of a Pediatric Dentist in Children’s Oral Health

The first set of teeth that will erupt from a child’s gums is expected to fall out at a certain point. In the process, however, proper oral care must be diligently practiced to protect the child’s future dental wellness. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recently released a report highlighting the importance of caring for your little one’s teeth.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), dental caries is one of the most common diseases among children, occurring five times more often than asthma and seven times more than hay fever. Furthermore, the CDC adds that 42% of kids have cavities in their baby teeth, while 21% had some in their permanent teeth.

What's a Dental Emergency?

What qualifies as a dental emergency? Is it a tooth knocked out of place by accident? A loose crown? Sleep apnea?

Dentists can't agree on a definition, but any individual who starts to feel pain or panic does. It's when you really wish for a dentist to look at your out-of-place braces at 3:00 a.m., for instance. Many dentists either take calls (to prioritize your case within 24 hours) or work round the clock to your benefit. How a dentist gets enough rest is a story for another time.

The good news is that nearly every known dental problem qualifies as an emergency. It's only a matter of knowing whether or not you really need someone who can help right now. Toothache, which can be a result of a loose tooth or abscess, is considered a dental emergency. Post-op effects like bleeding gums are also dental emergencies.

However, most dentists usually take calls after hours and attend to you during office hours. So, you'll have to find ways to cope with the pain while you wait. For aching teeth, put a bag of ice next to the pain area. For a loose crown, place it back using over-the-counter dental cement or wait for the dentist to do it for you.

How to Deal with Dental Emergencies

After a night on the town or a gastronaut tour of Philadelphia’s many great eats, one can wake up with a pang or ache in his or her teeth, gums, or both. If this is something you can relate to at the moment, chances are you are in need of a dentist. This is a dental emergency.

Shielding your Teeth and Gums from Injury

Taking care of your oral health is a lifelong undertaking. Aside from observing good dental hygiene practices to prevent tooth decay and gum disease, you also need to protect teeth and gums from injury. If you happen to lead an active lifestyle, be sure to keep these protective measures in mind:

Tooth Decay: Big Reason for Kids to Visit Dentists

What does tooth decay have in common with the common cold? They’re two of the biggest reasons why American children skip school every year. The situation is much worse than what parents might think: more than 25 percent of kids aged two to five, and at least 50 percent of children between 12 and 15 suffer from tooth decay. These numbers go as high as 80 percent in some places like North Philadelphia.

There are a lot of reasons for these staggering statistics. Aside from the fact that many households in the U.S. lack dental coverage, children are also often exposed to tooth decay-causing substances like candies, sodas, citrus fruits, and even bread. The sugar content of these foods can lead to tooth decay and cause cavities. Lack of proper oral hygiene is also a major factor.

Some may argue that it is “normal” for children to suffer from tooth decay, simply because their baby teeth are significantly weaker than the permanent teeth that they’ll eventually grow. That may be true to some extent, but it’s also important for people to know that decayed milk teeth can also result in more serious complications later in life. There are numerous studies that link childhood tooth decay with stroke, pneumonia, poor pregnancy outcomes, and similar health conditions in adult life.

How to Handle a Dental Emergency

Accidents can happen anytime, even to the most cautious, and can result in bodily injury, including a dental emergency. In cases like this, a good grip of the situation is necessary to have the emergency resolved right away.

Here are some tips on how to handle a dental emergency:

Apply safe first-aid measures.

First-aid measures can temporarily manage symptoms and control the situation before or during your trip to the professional. Clean any wound by rinsing with water. Take over-the-counter acetaminophen for pain, as opposed to aspirin or ibuprofen, which can make bleeding worse. If the medicine is not readily available, use an ice compress to help numb the area. Pressure can also be applied using a clean cloth.

Save what can be saved.

It is important to save a knocked-out tooth or dental prosthesis (e.g. a crown, broken denture, etc.) right away. A dentist may be able to safely re-implant the tooth, or at least, temporarily restore it, if the condition is preserved. Otherwise, a tooth replacement may be necessary. Knocked-out tooth should immediately and gently be rinsed in water while protecting the root, then placed in a cup of milk to keep it from deteriorating. 

 

Call an emergency dentist.

Proceeding to a hospital emergency room can mean more expensive treatments and possible unsatisfactory outcomes. Call a reliable emergency dentist who offers 24/7 services instead. With professional skills and appropriate diagnostic and treatment tools, the emergency dentist can provide immediate relief and treatment, at a more affordable cost.

Dealing with Common Dental Emergencies

Dental emergencies can happen to anyone. Dental issues are known to get worse quickly (sometimes within minutes). Do you know what to when the time comes? Here are a few of the most common dental emergencies and how to deal with them until professional help is available.

Lost filling. An exposed tooth from a lost filling can turn very sore in a short time. Usually caused by accidentally biting down on it, a lost filling exposes the sensitive exterior of the tooth, the tender the spot which the filling protects. You can rinse the tooth with warm water to get rid of any foreign object that may be causing the pain. It’s a temporary fix, and the tooth will need dental attention right away.

A Look at Putting a Loose Temp Crown Back in

Fans of the popular sitcom How I Met Your Mother may remember an episode in the first season where Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel) went to a dance club with his friends. However, as he drank beer it is revealed that he had a temporary crown installed earlier in the day– which triggered sheer amounts of pain because of the alcohol. Although he mysteriously recovered later in the episode, the incident does underline the dangers of not taking care of a temp crown. On the other hand, if the same thing does happen to you, you can still do something about it with your dentist’s help. 

Philadelphia Emergency Dentist: Relieving Dental Stress off the ER

Some problems such as bleeding following dental work, for instance, also need to be dealt with as soon as possible. For dental patients in such a predicament, morning can’t come fast enough. Luckily, time is not an issue for a trusted emergency dentist in Philadelphia like Dr. Gerald Regni who can be called upon to treat cases like toothache, cracked or broken teeth, and swollen jaws 24/7.

Health officials are looking for ways to provide affordable dental care for patients. As mentioned earlier, the ER also deals with non-dental cases, so they can’t afford to be stretched any thinner. Ultimately, it makes sense to visit a Philadelphia emergency dentist at the first sign of dental problems, even while the rest of the city sleeps.

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Caring for your Kids’ Pearly-Whites

Your sweet little princess is gradually growing those healthy, pearly-white teeth, and as a parent, it is an important life milestone. As soon as you see them, you’re excited on how the teeth will make your daughter more beautiful as she reaches adolescence and into adulthood.

But wait! Maintaining those beautiful baby teeth until they further develop requires care, because of your kid’s age. Here are a few tips to properly care for the teeth during your child’s early years.