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There are dental cases that require the immediate help of the professionals who can address urgent issues pertaining to our oral health. These situations can be referred to as dental emergencies. Let us first define what a dental emergency is.Dental emergency is used to describe a situation involving teeth and surrounding tissues that is considered of high importance to be treated by an expert or professional. Dental emergencies do not necessarily involve pain, although this could be a sign that something needs immediate attention. Various emergencies exist and each of them requires individual and unique treatment depending on the extent of the problem.How a patient defines dental emergency also vary on how soon he or she needs to get the treatment done, as there are some who do not have the sense of urgency to get the treatment they need or sometimes delay it for a couple of reasons.

What are the instances that we consider as dental emergencies?

• Pulpitis or the infection of the pulp or nerve of the tooth
• Gum abscesses or collection of pus caused by infection
• Swelling and bleeding
• Broken or missing tooth
• Pain on biting
• Pericoronitis or inflammation around an erupting wisdom tooth
• Trauma on tooth due to accident

Since dental emergencies can range from minor to life threatening, when you suffer an injury affecting your teeth and gums, it is imperative that you contact your dentist right away. But it is also equally important to know first what causes dental emergencies and ways on how you can avoid them.

1. Severe cavity – Root canal is normally needed if you suffer from a severe tooth decay. Many root canals result from untreated tooth decay, and if it is not treated by a dentist, it will infect the inner tooth pulp. To avoid getting to a serious condition such as this one, make sure that you brush your teeth twice daily with fluoride toothpaste and make regular visits to your dentist for check-ups and teeth cleanings.

2. Chipped tooth – a chipped, knocked out or broken tooth is one of the most common dental emergencies. There are already a lot of available solutions today, but these are not all about cosmetic problems, they are also considered as oral health risks. To prevent this from happening, it is highly recommended to wear athletic mouth guard when playing contact sports. It is always possible to trip and fall so dentist also suggest the use of mouth guards even for solo athletic activities.

For a child to avoid dental emergencies, it is also important to keep hard items away from them as these can actually crack their teeth.

3. Broken Jaw – broken jaw is considered a very serious dental emergency. It involves hairline fractures to the healthy bone tissue and cause the patient to feel mild to moderate pain. Severe case of broken jaw lead to major swelling and bruising. This also prevents patients from closing their mouths properly. It is difficult to avoid this type of emergency as this is normally a result of major or unexpected trauma.

When do you need to call an emergency dentist?

There are professionals who are specifically trained for specific areas to be able to provide the required treatment and care, and in the dental emergencies mentioned, the dentists who provide immediate care and attention for patients who need their conditions treated with urgency are called emergency dentists. However, depending on the dental condition, not all dentists can provide aid to all dental problems their patients bring them. There are some cases that may need the expertise of another specialists.It is essential to know what kinds of injuries require emergency dental care so that you can be sure yours and your family’s teeth are taken care of. Accidents can happen all the time, some oral injuries really need immediate attention, and others can just wait until the next appointment. There are emergency hotline numbers you can call if you are not able to reach your family dentist right away or maybe you can leave a message. If all else fail, you can always go to the nearest local emergency clinic or emergency room so that the staff will be able to determine the level of urgency needed for your situation or if there is any medicine they can apply to temporarily alleviate the pain or symptoms.Contact Greenfield Family Dentistry for best emergency dentistry in gilbert az,Conveniently located 875 N. Greenfield Road, Suite 114 Gilbert, AZ 85234