Have you ever found yourself with a toothache, a broken tooth, or any other kind of dental emergency? If so, you likely know how stressful it can be to try and get emergency dental care when your local dental clinic is all booked up for the week. At Trillium Dental in Ottawa, we do our best to fit in dental emergencies with the rest of our appointments so that each and every one of our patients leave the clinic with beautiful, healthy smiles. That being said, here are some of the most common reasons why patients end up in an emergency dental clinic.
BROKEN TEETH
Many patients who seek emergency dental care have broken or chipped teeth and require re-implanting, porcelain veneers, fake teeth, or another kind of cosmetic dentistry solution. Although the teeth are some of the strongest and most durable parts of the body, they can break and chip for a number of reasons. These include chewing things other than food such as hard candy like jawbreakers, using your teeth to pry things open, grinding your teeth, having a misaligned bite, or suffering any kind of trauma to the face during a sports-related injury, accident, or physical fight.
CUTS
Another reason patients rush to the emergency dental clinic is because they have some kind of laceration in their mouth that requires emergency dental care. For example, if you have experienced some kind of mouth trauma that resulted in a major cut on the inside of your cheek, on your tongue, or along the gumline, an emergency dentist will be able to address the issue and stitch you up right away. Depending on the nature and severity of the issue, however, a trip to the emergency room may be required.
TOOTHACHES
Toothaches and dental emergencies like tooth decay, an abscessed tooth, damaged tooth fillings, fractured or broken teeth, and persistent teeth grinding are all reasons to visit your emergency dental clinic. Often, toothaches will go away after a few days if you have been maintaining good oral hygiene, however, they can also be indicative of a much bigger problem. Because of this, it is always a good idea to visit an emergency dentist if you have persistent toothaches so they can get to the root of the issue.
JAW PAIN
Jaw pain is another problem that frequently brings patients to their emergency dental clinic. Jaw pain can occur for a number of reasons such as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), teeth grinding, arthritis, nerve problems, and dental conditions like cavities, gum disease, damaged teeth. It can be difficult to determine the cause and solutions for jaw pain, toothaches, and dental emergencies of this nature, which is why you should skip the guesswork and consult an emergency dentist.