Did you know that more than 120 million people in the United States alone are missing at least one tooth? Loose and missing teeth are one of many dental emergencies that need treatment as soon as possible. When it comes to emergency dental care, the key is to act fast, otherwise, the consequences could be detrimental to your dental health and in some cases, the results could even be life-threatening. 

But what is a dental emergency and where should you go if you need immediate dental treatment? Should you go to your local dentist in Riverdale IL, or should you go somewhere else? Keep reading and learn more about emergency dentistry below.

What You Need to Know About Emergency Dental Care

There are many types of dental emergencies to consider and some need to be treated more urgently than others.

The signs of a dental emergency are usually quite obvious and pain is one of the most common side effects. In general, a dental emergency involves some kind of damage or injury to your teeth that could be life-threatening if a dentist or other medical professional does not treat the problem right away. 

For example, suppose that you have an infected tooth but have put off going to the dentist for quite a while. After some time, the pain of the infection becomes unbearable and the infection starts to spread to the rest of your mouth. This is a dental emergency because if the tooth infection continues to spread, it could reach the rest of your body and become a life-threatening problem. 

Another type of dental emergency may involve the excessive loss of blood. For example, suppose you are in a car accident and your mouth is so damaged that uncontrolled bleeding results. Excessive loss of blood can also be life-threatening in some cases, especially if you have a health condition that makes it more difficult for your blood to clot on its own. 

Other Types of Dental Emergencies 

There are also some dental emergencies that are not life-threatening. For example, getting your tooth knocked out is a dental emergency. If you hurry to the dentist, you can still save the tooth. 

This is because the nerves inside the tooth will still be intact. As long as you get to the dentist in time, the dentist should be able to restore your tooth. If you were to make an ordinary dentist appointment for this problem, you would not have enough time to save your tooth. 

Some dental emergencies result from previous dental procedures. For example, if you have recently gotten a tooth extracted, you may end up with dry-socket. This can be detrimental to your dental health and it needs immediate treatment. 

The same goes for infections that result from certain dental procedures. In general, anything that involves an infection requires treatment as soon as possible. If you put off getting a dental infection treated, the infection can spread to the rest of your body and cause serious problems for your health. 

Where to Go for Emergency Dental Care

Some dental practices are capable of providing emergency dental services while others are not. For that reason, you will want to look around at the dental practices in your area and see which ones offer emergency services. This shouldn't be too difficult since many dental practices these days offer emergency dental care. 

However, if there is not a viable dental practice near you, you can always go to your nearest hospital. The hospital staff should have all the equipment necessary to mend most dental emergencies such as dental infections or blood loss. But if you can, it is usually better to go to a professional dentist. 

A dentist will be prepared to treat a dental emergency more efficiently than the staff in a hospital. Once you go in for an emergency dental procedure, your dentist will work fast to treat the problem at hand. If you are in a lot of pain, your dentist will likely give you something to numb the pain such as a local anesthetic. 

What You Need to Know

The treatment you get will depend on what kind of dental emergency you're dealing with. For example, if you have a bad tooth infection, your dentist may need to remove the affected tooth or perform a root canal. On the other hand, if you have had a tooth knocked out of your mouth, your dentist will work hard to place the tooth back into its socket so that the tooth remains alive. 

If you're wondering when to go to an emergency dentist, the signs should be quite obvious. For example, if you have a persistent toothache that has only been getting worse and worse, it is important that you go to a dentist. You could be dealing with an infection and if you don't get it treated fast, it could become a very serious problem for your teeth and overall health. 

If you suffer any trauma to your teeth such as chips, cracks, or tooth loss, you should act fast and go to the dentist to have your teeth restored before it is too late. Getting emergency dental treatment can help save you from having to get more dental procedures later on. 

All About Emergency Dental Care

Emergency dental care from your dentist in Riverdale IL, is no joke. If you don't get a dental emergency treated right away, you'll find that your dental health and even your overall health will suffer greatly. Fortunately, our dental practices offer emergency services and can fix whatever problem you have in no time. 

To learn more or book a consultation, click here.