What Can Be Considered a Dental Emergency?
A dental emergency calls for immediate medical attention, specifically when the condition involves bleeding, incessant pain, and other symptoms. You can avoid most dental emergencies by maintaining your hygiene, but certain cases require immediate action. In those times, you need to know which practice offers attentive emergency dental services so that you can receive treatment promptly and recover quickly.
Hillcrest Dental provides quality dental services to patients throughout Charlottesville, VA. Our services include regular general dentistry–such as check-ups, cleanings, etc.–cosmetic services – including installing braces and teeth whitenings–as well as emergency dental care and oral surgery. Our practice is dedicated to ensuring patients have all of their needs covered.
Below, we discuss what a dental emergency is and provide some examples of what we consider dental emergencies:
What is a Dental Emergency?
Dental emergencies are common occurrences in which individuals suffer from serious gum or dental pain, incessant bleeding, facial trauma, or related injuries. In contrast, broken crowns, bridges, or retainers as well as mild toothaches and slight dental discomfort aren’t dental emergencies as they do not pose the same medical danger.
Dental emergencies must be treated as soon as possible. These issues can worsen without treatment and bring unnecessary pain to patients who leave them unaddressed.
Examples of Dental Emergencies
Many dental conditions fall into the category of “dental emergency.” These include the following:
- Pulpitis
Pulpitis is the inflammation of the pulp beneath the enamel of your teeth. The inflammation is caused by dental caries, another disease involving the degradation of your tooth’s enamel and then infects your tooth pulp.
Symptoms include mild pain and sensitivity to hot and cold food and beverages. It is reversible through the removal of the infected tissue and replacing it with a filling.
However, if left untreated it can become irreversible, causing sudden severe and persistent pains and aches, which can only be treated through tooth extraction or root canal procedures.
- Periodontitis
The worst-case scenario after developing irreversible pulpitis, periodontitis is when the tooth pulp is so infected that it necrotizes. This is when tissues are now permanently dead but can also risk further infection to the rest of your gums and teeth.
- Tooth Abscess
In addition to necrosis of the tooth pulp, periodontitis can also lead to the development of an abscess within the deeper root of your infected tooth. An abscess is a pocket of pus that forms within your root canal, causing severe pain and swelling.
When you are found to have an abscess, it can be treated by simply cutting and draining out the fluid. However, a more definitive treatment for your dentist is to perform a root canal or extraction.
Hillcrest Dental: Responsive Emergency Dental Services in Charlottesville, VA
Dental emergencies must be addressed quickly to get the best outcomes in terms of recovery. If left untreated, there can be serious repercussions not only to one’s dental health, but to your overall health as well. If you are seeking prompt emergency dental services from a trustworthy practice in Charlottesville, VA, consider turning to Hillcrest Dental. Our dental staff is friendly and devoted to the continued well-being of our patients. We desire to make our place a trusted staple for patients throughout the area, ensuring they receive the best possible general, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry they can get. Contact us today at (434) 973-2224 to make an appointment with our staff and learn about how we deal with dental emergencies.
