Dental emergencies are never fun, and when you have one, you need to know that you can rely on the skill of our dentist Soho to alleviate the issue and get you feeling better. Here, we discuss the basis of dental emergencies, what you can expect from your emergency dental appointment and how to prevent future issues from occurring.
What is a dental emergency?
Many people are familiar with the image of a person having a dental emergency being in discomfort, and this is not too far from the truth. However, having a toothache is not the only thing that warrants a trip to see our emergency dentist Soho.
If you have lost a filling or crown, have a very large ulcer or are suffering from facial swelling, these are all reasons to attend an emergency checkup. Some emergency issues are a bit more insidious, such as cracks or chips to the teeth, but will still need to be seen urgently to prevent decay from setting in.
What to expect at an emergency appointment
When you attend an emergency appointment with our dentist Soho at PS Dental Care, we will always endeavour to make you as comfortable as possible.
But of course, the main aim of these types of appointments are diagnostics; we will need to assess your emergency as it stands, which will involve us looking into your mouth for an in-depth assessment.
If you are in discomfort and cannot open your mouth very wide, we can offer you pain relief. Depending on the nature of your dental emergency, such as an abscess, we may also need to take x-rays and prescribe antibiotics.
If you have a dental abscess, we will be able to relieve the discomfort and prescribe antibiotics, but once you have attended this emergency appointment, you will need to follow up with a member of our regular dental team. In cases of dental abscesses, you will usually require either a root canal or an extraction, which is unlikely to be performed during an emergency appointment.
Preventing further dental emergencies
In many instances, dental emergencies cannot be prevented. If you lose a crown or filling, this can happen seemingly spontaneously and be due to excessive force being applied to your tooth or even the presence of some minor decay.
Should you suffer from a cracked or chipped tooth, this may be preventable by wearing a mouthguard if the damage occurred whilst you were playing a contact sport. In relation to the more serious dental emergencies, such as an abscess, these are usually caused by debris getting into the pulp of the tooth and causing problems. The easiest way to avoid an abscess from developing is with regular dental checkups, where our team can assess your mouth for decay and cavities.
Should you have any mysterious lumps or an ulcer the size of a 5 pence piece or bigger, these can be worrying symptoms and should be regarded as a dental emergency due to their link to oral cancers.