When To See An Emergency Dentist

Many are unaware of when it is necessary to see an emergency dentist. Even though modern dentistry is essentially painless, there still is a widespread fear among the population of going to the dentist. This often results in people waiting too long to save a tooth and causing a dangerous condition like an infectious abscess.

Pain indicates something is wrong

Persistent pain in the teeth and jaw are almost always the result of the outer layers of a tooth being compromised and allowing liquid or food debris to aggravate the nerve in a tooth. The pain can progress to an infection if bacteria gets into the inner part of the tooth. The infection can then spread to the jaw as an abscess. An abscess can get so severe as to become a life-threatening infection.

Pain in the jaw or teeth can be the referred pain of a heart attack in progress. Not all heart attacks cause a person to immediately lose consciousness with a stopped heart. Blockages can cause pain for a long time and get worse. Eventually the blockage can lead to a full blown heart attack. More than once has a trip to the dentist revealed that the pain was not caused by the teeth.

Abscesses still kill

Infections in the mouth caused by an abscessed tooth have been reported as the cause of death going back to the earliest recorded history. At one point, death by bad teeth led that of death by plague. Modern dentistry should negate anyone dying of an abscessed tooth, but it still happens. People will self medicate and put up with incredible amounts of pain in order to avoid going to the dentist. An abscess can quickly become a systemic infection that will rapidly lead to a person's death. Sepsis, or blood infection, caused when the abscess in the mouth begins to spread throughout the person through the blood stream, is still common.

Pain in the teeth, jaw or mouth needs to be addressed in a timely manner. Eating or drinking cold or hot foods that cause a very temporary pain may be able to be ignored for a time but should still be treated by a dentist. Pain that comes and goes and is getting progressively more annoying should be treated by a dentist. Do not just cover up the pain with pain treatments and medications. It may be okay to use such treatments while waiting to see the dentist, but it is not safe to treat the pain in hopes that it will go away. Pain may subside for a time, but it can come back with a vengeance later.

Pain may subside for a time, but it can come back with a vengeance later