Dental Emergency or Routine Checkup? Orlando Dentist Helps You Decide

Whether you’re on vacation in Orlando, or you’re lucky enough to live there, it’s all too often that dental accidents happen. From a loose tooth to broken wires on your braces, there are all kinds of events that can lead you to calling up an emergency dentist. But how can you tell if your toothache is a dental emergency, or something a routine dental checkup can take care of? Before using a dentist near me search to find the nearest emergency dentist, read through what our Orlando dentist has to say about your dental emergency. It could be prevented at your dental checkup.

What Qualifies as a Dental Emergency?

It can be difficult to tell when your teeth are in a state of emergency. After all, toothaches can seem common and generally don’t cause room for concern. However, knowing when to visit your emergency dentist can not only save a tooth, but it can help detect a larger issue that could be happening, or prevent an issue from getting worse. A dental emergency is any dental issue that can lead to the loss of a tooth, nerve or bone damage, or the inability to stop bleeding. Pain doesn’t always need to be associated with a dental emergency, as there are issues that can arise that should be treated immediately, but don’t always cause severe pain.

Dental Pain

Pain can be an indication that something isn’t quite right with your oral health. Whether it’s a toothache or a sharp pain, it should be looked at by a professional dentist. If your toothache is relatively low when it comes to pain, and goes away within a few days, you can mention this during a routine dental checkup. However, if the pain is severe or hasn’t subsided in a few weeks you should be looking for an appointment with an emergency dentist.

There are various factors that can play into why you might be experiencing dental pain, making it difficult to pinpoint the cause. Some dental issues that should be seen by an emergency dentist include a cavity, gum disease, or an abscessed tooth. Treating these issues right away can save you from experiencing further pain, and might even save your tooth.

For an abscessed tooth, patients might need to undergo a tooth extraction at their emergency dental appointment. With an abscessed tooth, patients typically experience a lot of pain as the infection has spread to the root of the tooth and may leave it deteriorated. If pain has subsided, it doesn’t necessarily mean the infection has stopped. It can damage the nerve endings on the root of your tooth, preventing you from experiencing the pain you’d normally feel. It’s important to seek treatment immediately for an abscessed tooth as you’ll want to stop the infection from spreading. Sometimes, this may mean your dentist will need to extract the entire tooth.

Dental Trauma

Dental trauma is another reason Orlando patients might find themselves driving to an emergency dentist. Trauma can mean issues like a physical injury to your mouth, a chipped tooth, a broken crown, or a broken denture. In this case, a tooth has experienced a type of trauma that could potentially damage the nerve or bone tissue in your mouth. This dental emergency should be attended to quickly to prevent anything from worsening.

• • Physical Injury

    Physical trauma to your mouth can happen from various accidents like falling, an auto accident, or sports. This can sometimes knock a tooth out, leaving you with a gaping hole. You’ll want to get to an emergency dentist to see what they are able to do, and make sure there isn’t further damage to your surrounding teeth. If this happens, you’ll want to rinse the tooth with plain water, remembering not to grab the tooth by the root. If you can, keep the tooth moist before bringing it to your Orlando emergency dentist. If you have lost a tooth, you can ask about dental implants or dental bridges to restore the natural looking appearance of your teeth. Even if you have all your teeth intact, it might be a good idea to check with your dentist and make sure there isn’t any lingering damage that you don’t notice.

• • Chipped Tooth

    There are many reasons you chip a tooth – biting something too hard or breaking a filling. If you do chip a tooth, you’ll want an emergency dentist to take a look and prescribe an affordable fix. Depending on how the tooth was chipped or broken will depend on the ability to fix it. You may need a filling, bonding, or tooth extraction depending on the severity of the break.

• Broken Crown

  A broken crown is nothing to take lightly. Dental crowns are used to cover previous damage to a tooth, either due to an infection or cavity. If your crown does break, you won’t want to leave the underlying tooth exposed for long. This is because the tooth enamel is already worn down and leaving the root of your tooth exposed to bacteria and plaque will only lead to more damage. Your Orlando emergency dentist will need to clean out the infected area before making a replacement crown.

Other Dental Concerns

• • Dental Swelling

    Swelling is an indication of an infection in the body. Especially if swelling is occurring in your jaw region, you’ll want to see an emergency dentist as soon as possible. Typically, this can indicate a salivary gland infection caused by bacteria in the body. You’ll want to seek treatment to prevent the infection from spreading or worsening.

• Loose brackets or wires

  If you’re undergoing orthodontic treatment, at times wires or brackets can loosen or become undone. Usually this happens when patients are injured from sports or have eaten something too hard. If this happens, don’t cut the wires off yourself. You’ll risk damaging your teeth or making the situation worse. If the wire or bracket is particularly sharp, you can put dental wax on the ends of it to make it less painful while you call an Orlando emergency dentist.

Your Emergency Dental Appointment

An emergency dental appointment is fairly similar to a regular dental appointment. Your Orlando emergency dentist should typically have different hours available, as accidents can happen at any time. If you think you have a dental emergency, use a dentist near me search to find the nearest Bright Now! Dental office in the Orlando area. With full dental services, you’ll be seen by professional dentists that will know just what to do. If you can, bring any previous dental X-rays and your insurance card with ID to speed up the appointment process.

At Bright Now! Dental, we accept most dental insurance plans and will handle the paperwork for you. If you don’t have dental insurance, we also offer flexible payment plans and affordable offers to make sure your needs are being met. When you have a dental emergency, the only thing you should be focused on is getting better.

Routine Checkup in Orlando

Routine checkups are what you can do as a patient to help lower your risk for a dental emergency. If you ever feel that something isn’t right with your oral health, it’s best to have it checked by an Orlando emergency dentist straight away. Otherwise, you should planning on seeing your regular dentist for a routine dental checkup at least every six months. Your dentist might advise more frequent visits based on your oral health needs.

At a routine dental checkup your dentist is able to look for any signs of decay or gum disease. Catching dental issues like these early on can prevent you from having a panicked emergency visit later on. For example, if you struggle with gum disease, your dentist will be able to look for warning signs and prescribe a treatment plan for you before you develop a condition such as an abscessed tooth. As mentioned before, this is a painful issue that can not only pose a risk to your tooth, but your overall health as well.

Usually a dental checkup is accompanied with a professional teeth cleaning. During these cleanings your dentist will remove plaque and tartar that have built up, keeping your teeth ready to handle whatever comes its way. Doing this often is one of the best preventative measures you can take to keep your teeth and mouth healthy – as well as brushing and flossing your teeth on a regular basis. During your teeth cleanings and dental checkups you can mention any concerns you might have about your oral health. If you’re unsure your brushing and flossing properly, or have a tooth that’s bothering you, your dental checkup is a great place to start a conversation with a professional that has your answers.

Dentist Near Me

Your smile matters. It helps you develop your speech, allows you to eat, and is one of the best ways to express yourself. At Bright Now! Dental our Orlando dentists take pride in serving you with quality care that’s affordable. If you feel that you have a dental emergency, or simply would like to schedule a dental checkup you can always make appointments online or by calling us at 1-844-400-7645. Whether your care is preventative or reactive, we’re here to help the best way we know how.