This article highlights possible situations where an emergency dentist is needed. It also explains what the requirements are for an emergency dentist.
Many people do not realize just how important an emergency dentist is until they find that they need one. A lot of people associate dental professionals as practitioners whom they visit to maintain their teeth. In some cases where immediate action is needed, the urgent kind of oral health care practitioners are sought after.
These kinds of practitioners pass through the same education and training as general dentists. In fact, they can practice general dentistry when necessary and may actually do this when there are no emergency situations to deal with. Most graduates from dental school and their training programs often take on additional studies to specialize in certain dental fields, such as emergency situation and needs.
When to Seek Help
The gauge of when the need for an emergency dentist arises is basically dependent on the individual himself. Toothaches for some can be nagging but tolerable, while for others it can have the effect of a hammer pounding away at the tooth. If the individual can tolerate the ache and the pain, he can wait until a more suitable time until a consultation with his or her oral health care provider. In many cases, the person will take pain relievers to alleviate the pain and put off the visit to the dental professional when the pain subsides.
What he or she may not know is that ignoring the situation can aggravate it. There are grave consequences of not having the oral cavity maintained of checked at least twice a year. Among these consequences are deep decays which may eventually compromise the health of a group of teeth, gum disease, bad breath, serious infections and more expensive treatments, corrections and remedies which could have been avoided.
Many people have an intense fear of dentists and this can actually prevent them from seeing one. This can result to having an unhealthy oral cavity. For those individuals who cannot tolerate the pain and needs to have it dealt with immediately, a visit to an emergency dentist can be most helpful.
Common situations that may lead to the visit are infections or the presence of an abscess. Any number of factors can cause these two possible reasons for discomfort and pain. Among these factors are cracked or damaged teeth, an infected nerve due to decay or gum disease. These are just the more common cause of discomfort, others may also exist which are not brought up here.
What can be done?
An emergency dentist can actually help to alleviate the pain that the individual is experiencing. In many cases, he can prescribe the right kind of medication or drugs to get rid of the infection or the inflammation. He will most certainly recommend another visit after the infection or inflammation has subsided to treat the affected tooth or part of the gums.
There are also cases, where the dentist may need to make an incision or a surgical remedy to ease the inflammation or remove the presence of pus. Some professionals also need to take x-rays of the teeth and the jaws to be able to see any underlying problems which may be the root cause of the pain and discomfort. .