We oftentimes cancel appointments that seem silly. This usually includes your annual physical, dentist trips, and similar appointments. But skipping the dentist is never a good idea. When you don’t visit the dentist, you’re not just missing out on a dental cleaning, but potentially a dental emergency that needs a professional eye.
If you’re ignoring a dental emergency you may be making the problem worse. Dental emergencies include toothaches, a chipped tooth, a lost tooth, a rotting tooth, and everything in between.
Don’t Ignore Your Dental Emergencies
For some severe dental emergencies, you might need to go to the emergency room. But it’s important to call your dentist. When you experience dental pain, it can be a sign of a cavity or infection. An untreated cavity or infection can spread to the center of the tooth, infecting the pulp, causing the nerve of the tooth to become inflamed. Along with that, the following dental emergencies should not be ignored:
- Oral sores happen to everyone. If they last longer than a week without any pain relief, it’s time to go see the dentist. Canker sores affect the inner parts of the lips and gums. If the sore is deep, it takes longer to heal, making it more susceptible to infection. See your dentist if the sore is recurring frequently, over the counter medicine does not help with pain, you are experiencing difficulty eating, or it causes swelling or fever.
- A sign of a dental emergency that might not seem like a big deal is bleeding from the mouth. Your mouth has a lot of bacteria to keep it from bleeding, so if it does, that should be alarming. Minor bleeding from the mouth during flossing and brushing is a warning sign of gum disease. If there is a cut in your mouth that you’re bleeding from you might need stitches. Cuts may occur from breaking a tooth. If you notice blood in your saliva, this could be something more serious, like advanced gum disease or cancer.
- A bump in your mouth could be a sign of oral cancer. It’s best to go to the dentist immediately after noticing so they can classify the bump and provide treatment.
- If you have a cracked or loose tooth there is a high risk that bacteria can reach the pulp, the inside of the tooth. If the tooth breaks, the pulp is exposed, and if infection leads to the pulp, you can lose your tooth. This can also spread throughout your body in a network for blood vessels in the tooth.
Contact The Dentist Today
If you’re experiencing any of the dental emergencies listed above, be sure to prioritize a visit to the dentist. Please contact Hampden Dental Group for an emergency appointment.