Common causes of dental emergencies and how to avoid them
Nobody likes the idea of rushing to the dentist in pain, and it’s not always clear what’s considered a dental emergency. A dental emergency means that you require urgent care for severe dental pain. This could be caused by infection, dental injury or complications following dental surgery.
But there are five common emergencies which dentists know all too well. Find out what they are and how you can keep yourself out of the emergency dentist’s chair.
1. Severe tooth decay
If tooth decay is left untreated, it damages the pulp at the centre of your tooth with a bacterial infection. This pulp begins to die, meaning a bacterium spread. This can often cause toothache and be particularly painful when biting or chewing, or when eating hot and cold food. If the pain becomes severe, you may need an emergency appointment.
When this happens, a root canal is needed to clean out the bacteria, or the tooth must be extracted. Addressing tooth decay early reduces the chance of developing a serious infection that requires a root canal.
Nevertheless, to avoid tooth decay and root canals altogether, make sure you:
- Brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes using a fluoride toothpaste
- Use interdental brushes or floss to remove plaque
- Limit your sugar consumption to reduce sugar attacking your teeth
- Get regular check-ups to maintain good oral health
2. Knocked-out and damaged teeth from injury
One of the most common dental emergencies is a knocked-out tooth caused by a dental injury. It’s common for injuries to happen from simple accidents like falling over or from playing contact or extreme sports.
Knocked-out teeth can be very painful and should be treated as a dental emergency. If the tooth is a permanent adult tooth, you should gently clean it with water, be careful not to touch the root, and then put it back in the gum if possible before heading to the dentist. If you follow these steps, your tooth can often be saved. Find out in more detail about what to do in a dental emergency.
Obviously accidental slips and falls occur, but the best way to protect your teeth from sports injury is to invest in a custom mouthguard. You can buy mouthguards in shops, but the standard sizing means they don’t always fit correctly on the teeth, so they’re not as effective. Custom mouthguards, which you get from your dentist, use individual moulds to ensure they fit snugly around your gums.
3. Cracked and broken teeth
A cracked or fractured tooth is when there’s a break or crack in the enamel of your tooth. There are different levels of cracked teeth, from ‘craze lines’, which are small shallow cracks that aren’t painful, to a split tooth, which affects the root of the tooth. Not all cracked teeth are considered a dental emergency, but severely cracked or split teeth can be extremely painful and need urgent care.
Causes of teeth cracks include biting down on hard objects, teeth grinding or dental injury. Cracked teeth can happen at any age but are common in older people who have tooth decay or damage, or who have had teeth restored.
Accidents happen, but there are a few things you can do to avoid cracked teeth:
- Avoid chewing hard objects like ice, boiled sweets or pen lids
- Wear a mouthguard for contact or extreme sports
- Don’t use your teeth to open or cut things
- Avoid grinding your teeth. If you think you might suffer from teeth grinding, speak to your dentist
4. Wisdom tooth pain
Wisdom teeth grow at the back of your gums and usually grow through in your late teens or early twenties. The position of wisdom teeth at the back of your mouth means there isn’t always room for the teeth to grow through properly, meaning they can get stuck or grow at an angle. These are called impacted wisdom teeth and can cause severe pain.
If you’re experiencing severe wisdom pain, see your dentist as soon as you can. They’ll take X-rays of your mouth to see the growth of the teeth. From this, they can advise whether they need to be surgically removed. Wisdom teeth only need to be removed if they’re causing you severe pain and are a risk to your dental health.
If your wisdom tooth is impacted but isn’t removed, food and bacteria can get stuck around the tooth, causing plaque and eventually leading to long-term oral health problems, including tooth decay, gum disease and dental abscesses. There’s no way to stop your wisdom teeth coming through, but, if you’re experiencing pain, make sure you see your dentist.
5. Dental abscesses
Dental abscesses are caused by bacterial infections. This means that pus collects around the teeth, in the gums or around the bone in your mouth. If you think you have a dental abscess, it’s important to see your dentist as soon as possible. Dental abscesses are considered a dental emergency, as the infection can spread to other parts of your body and make you ill.
To decrease your chances of developing an abscess:
- Keep up good oral hygiene by seeing your dentist regularly, as well as brushing and flossing
- Cut down on sugary food and drinks which can encourage plaque to grow, leading to decay and abscesses
- Take extra care if you have diabetes- as having high blood sugar can reduce blood supply to the gums, increasing the likeliness of dental abscesses
- Also take extra care if you are currently undergoing chemotherapy, as the treatment can upset the balance of bacteria in your mouth, making you more susceptible to dental infections
Do you think you have a dental emergency?
If you’re experiencing pain in your teeth or mouth, get in touch with your local dentist as soon as possible. They can book you an emergency appointment or advise what you should do to ease the pain until you can see your dentist.
Bupa Dental Care has over 350 practices across the UK. You don’t always need to be a registered patient to see one of our dentists in an emergency. Contact your nearest practice to find out your options for emergency dental care.
