What Are The Different Types Of Emergency Dental Care?

Dental health is a window to medical health; therefore, your kids need to practice good oral hygiene habits to maintain good dental health. Proper use of the teeth, regular brushing and flossing, and safety measures during physical activities are necessary to protect your kids’ teeth and dental health. Also, preventive measures like periodic dental checkups, comprehensive dental examinations, cleanings, and procedures add an extra layer of security to their dental health. However, these measures might not be of much help if an unplanned event leads to a severe dental condition. In situations like these, they need an emergency pediatric dentist in Lancaster.

Emergency dental care is a dental specialty that addresses serious dental problems, referred to as dental emergencies. A dental emergency always requires urgent dental care to fix the problem. Usually, Dr. Sylvester AduBoahene attends to patients with emergency dental cases within 24 hours to save the tooth and protect the patient’s dental health. Dental emergencies occur due to injuries, accidents, improper care of the teeth, abuse of the teeth, etc. 

Types Of Emergency Dental Cases

Because of the urgency of dental emergencies, at Kids First Dental – Lancaster, not all dental conditions are considered dental emergencies. The following are types of emergency dental cases:

• Severe toothache: The pain from a toothache might be mild or excruciating. Mild toothaches usually do not need emergency treatment. However, severe toothaches accompanied by swelling or a foul odor in the mouth require urgent attention. A toothache is typically an indication of a worse dental problem.

• Knocked-out tooth: Kids might get their teeth knocked out while playing or engaging in sporting activities without the appropriate safety equipment. A knocked-out tooth might be very painful because it has been forcefully removed from its socket. 

• Soft tissue injury: The lips, tongue, gums, and the inside of the cheeks are the soft tissues of the mouth that may get injured by accident. That leads to bleeding and might be painful. Also, it might make eating and speaking difficult and painful; therefore, you might need emergency dental care at a dental office in Lancaster.

• Broken orthodontic appliances: Orthodontic appliances correct various teeth defects. However, in cases where orthodontic appliances such as braces break, stick out, or poke your kids’ cheeks, they might need urgent dental attention. Although braces are rigid and their metal wires can withstand lots of pressure every day, they might break and cause damage to your kids’ mouths. 

• Abscessed tooth: Tooth infections occur due to bacteria in dental plaques invading the root canal and infecting the tooth pulp. When left untreated, tooth infections form pockets of pus which appear as pimple-like spots on the gums. They are very painful and might spread throughout the body, treating tooth abscesses as dental emergencies.

Emergency Dental Cases Approach

Although emergency dental cases need attention within 24 hours, sometimes it might take a while before you see an emergency pediatric dentist. Therefore, it is essential to have the right approach to dental emergencies to save your kids’ teeth and even their lives. First-aid measures that can help before seeing an emergency pediatric dentist include:

• If your kid has a severe toothache, gently clean the teeth and remove food between them. Rinse the mouth with warm water and seek dental help.

• Rinse the tooth while avoiding the root in case of a knocked-out tooth. Try to insert the knocked-out tooth into its socket. If this does not work, place the tooth in a glass of milk and seek dental help.

• If your kid has severe cuts, bites, and other soft tissue injuries, clean the affected area gently with water. Stop any bleeding with a cold compress and seek dental help.

• In tooth abscess, rinse the mouth with a salt-water solution to draw out the pus and ease the pain. Seek immediate dental help.