Health emergencies, especially those related to your teeth can occur any day anytime. Some clinics and hospitals are equipped to attend to such emergencies when they happen so that you’re your problem can be resolved at the earliest without putting the health or longevity of your teeth at risk. While not all dental practices cater to such needs, emergency dentists are best equipped to handle these cases, even during wee hours of the day or night. Read on to know how such a doctor in McLean helps you during an emergency relating to your teeth.

Object caught in teeth

It’s common for tiny bits or particles of food to get lodged between the teeth or within the crevices on the tooth surface. This happens more so when the gap between two teeth is larger than usual owing to a missing tooth or an irregularity in the position, size, or angulation of the tooth. Foods bits that get stuck within or between teeth can cause a great deal of discomfort and in rare cases, pain. While using dental floss, toothbrush, or toothpick helps to remove such food particles; an emergency dentist McLean can help you when the particle does not budge at all. Through a professional cleaning procedure, he/she can quickly remove the object caught in your teeth and alleviate all discomfort associated to having food particles lodged within.

Broken, chipped, or fractured tooth

Broken or chipped tooth is another kind of dental emergency which often results in pain and sensitivity. One or more parts of the tooth may break or chip when you chew on hard foods. It could also occur when the tooth has a cavity or is weak. Such emergencies may also arise when you get injured during sports and games. A cracked chipped, or fractured tooth is susceptible to further breakage or complete loss if not treated and protected on time. An emergency dentist is trained specially to treat such cases of tooth damage. He/she performs restorative procedures on the chipped or broken tooth to prevent further breakage and preserve the good parts while bringing down pain and discomfort.

Knocked out tooth

Teeth can get knocked out during sports, games, falls, or other accidents. This results in bleeding at the site of tooth loss, which if not treated immediately can result in infections or other complications. An emergency dentist helps address and treat all issues related to a broken tooth from restoring the knocked-out tooth to placing implants if necessary. When brought immediately, he/she re-sets the fallen tooth into its original place without much trouble. The dentist may also bond the knocked-out tooth on to an adjacent tooth. This, however, depends on the health of the adjacent teeth, gums, bones, as well as the age and health condition of the patient. When favorable, the tooth reset can be done effortlessly, prolonging the lie of the natural teeth. However, if the tooth is badly broken or cannot be reset into the gums, the doctor may fix implants that mimic the function of the lost tooth. Modern-day implants and crowns resemble natural teeth closely and hence such prosthetics do no affect the quality of your chewing, biting, or smile.

Pain when biting

Localized or radiating pain that occurs when you bite, chew or brush your teeth is often a sign of cavity or sometimes the result of nighttime or daytime grinding when you sleep. Though not as much an emergency as other cases, a McLean dentist can help you determine the cause behind your toothache and remedy the problem at the earliest without letting it aggravate. This is especially helpful if the onset of the pain is sudden or if it is unbearable or results in swelling.

Dental emergencies, in most cases, are not as life-threatening as other medical emergencies. But, they are often painful and cause a great deal of discomfort. Also, the longer you delay, the worse and more expensive the treatment becomes. An emergency dentist is someone who comes to your rescue in such cases, addressing the issue irrespective of the time of the day, and thus saving your teeth and your smile.