During COVID-19, both dental practices and patients are putting routine dental care on hold. However, a significant portion of patients come to the dentist because they’re experiencing a dental emergency. It would be best to get treatment for a dental emergency right away to avoid additional harm to the patient, pandemic or not.
Identifying if and when you have a dental emergency is key to protecting yourself and others from unnecessary exposure. For more information about our treatment options at Lovett Dental Meyerland Plaza, contact us today by calling 281-974-3434.
Signs You Need Emergency Dental Health Services
1. You Break or Lose an Adult Tooth
Adult teeth are permanent, so breaking or losing one tends to be a significant issue. The most common causes of tooth loss or breakage as an adult are trauma to the mouth or an underlying infection. Depending on the reasons behind the trauma, your dentist may be able to re-implant a lost tooth under the right conditions. However, the more time between the loss of the tooth and treatment, the less likely this will be successful. A broken tooth will often expose a nerve, causing extreme pain and sensitivity to cold and heat.
If your tooth suddenly becomes loose, it’s important not to panic. If you can, keep the tooth in its socket. Wrap it in gauze to make sure that it stays in place. If the tooth comes out entirely, please pick it up gently by the top of the tooth. Do not touch the root. Rinse it off, and attempt to put it back in the socket. If you can’t put the tooth back in the socket, put it in a cup of milk or saliva. Then, contact your dentist for emergency dental treatment.
2. You Experience Severe Dental Pain That Doesn’t Get Better
If you’re having severe dental pain that doesn’t resolve after taking over-the-counter pain medicine, this may be an indicator of a significant issue, such as a dental abscess. A dental abscess is a pocket of infection at the base of a tooth root and often requires a root canal and oral antibiotics to treat it. If a dental abscess is left untreated, it can develop into a critical and even life-threatening systemic infection.
Severe dental pain can also be the result of a cavity or an infection underneath the gum line. Regardless of the cause, pain in and of itself is considered an emergency in need of immediate intervention.
3. Your Adult Teeth Are Loose
Adult teeth should never be loose. If you have one or more teeth that you can wiggle or move around in your mouth, even if only slightly, you should reach out to an emergency dental health services provider right away. Adult teeth can become destabilized when gingivitis or periodontal disease becomes so advanced that bone loss occurs. The jawbone’s degradation causes teeth to become loose in their sockets, and eventually, they may fall out.
4. You Have Amalgam Fillings and Taste Metal In Your Mouth
While amalgam or mercury fillings are less frequently used by dentists today, many patients still have these metal fillings in their mouths. If a tooth has cracked and exposed the filling or the filling has become loose, you can experience the taste of metal. Since amalgam contains mercury and is considered a hazardous substance, it’s critical to seek emergency dental health services if you believe one or more of your metal fillings have cracked, broken, or otherwise become compromised.
Make Your Emergency Dental Health Services Appointment Today
If you are suffering from a dental emergency and need to get treatment as soon as possible, we can help. Contact our office today to schedule your appointment. Typically, we can see emergency patients the same day. Contact Lovett Dental Meyerland Plaza now at 281-974-3434.
