Most dental practices provide dental services during business hours. However, have you ever wondered what you would do if you had a dental injury or sudden toothache in the middle of the night? More importantly, where to go in case you have an emergency during lockdown? 

Emergency dentists are dental professionals who are trained in treating different types of dental emergencies. Since dental emergencies, like other types of emergency situations, can arise anytime, and anywhere, emergency dentists provide their services round the clock, seven days a week.

Whether it is a cracked tooth, bleeding due to an injury, or wisdom tooth pain, your emergency dentist during COVID-19 lockdown can take care of all your dental problems. 

Tooth Abscess Stages

According to the National Health Service (NHS), A tooth abscess refers to collecting pus inside the tooth, the gums, or the bone that supports the teeth. Dental abscesses form due to the penetration of bacteria inside the teeth or gums, leading to inflammation. 

A dental abscess develops over the course of various stages. Initially, white spots form on teeth that have become weakened due to the metabolic activity of the harmful bacteria present inside the plaque and tartar deposits. These white spots indicate the weakening of the outer enamel layer of the tooth. 

With time, these white spots turn into small holes through which the bacteria can penetrate the deeper layers of the tooth – the dentin and the enamel – which contain the nerves and blood vessels. Once the bacteria enter these sensitive layers of the tooth, they release toxins which lead to inflammation inside the pulp tissue and causing pressure buildup within the tooth. 

This is when the tooth starts to hurt badly. Initially, the pain may go away after taking pain medications. However, as the inflammation progresses, pain medications become ineffective, indicating that the pulp tissue has become irreversibly infected. At this stage, your emergency dentist during coronavirus pandemic may have to perform a root canal procedure to remove the inflamed pulp and relieve the pain. 

What To Do If A Dental Abscess Bursts On Its Own?

A dental abscess around the soft tissues typically manifests in the form of gum swelling. As the inflammation progresses, the swelling and the pain also increases. If you see any swelling around your gums, you should visit your dentist immediately as dental abscesses are a sensitive issue. 

However, if you are unable to see an emergency dentist during COVID-19 and the abscess bursts on its own, then there are few steps that you should take:

• Rinse with Salt Water – if an abscess bursts on its own, you will feel immediate pain relief, followed by a bad taste in your mouth. When this happens, rinse your mouth with salt water for two minutes. This ensures that the bacteria in the region are neutralised and also promotes faster healing. You may repeat this activity after every hour until you can visit your emergency dentist during coronavirus. 
• Mouthwash – you may also use mouthwash to kill the bacteria and prevent the infection from spreading. 
• Use an Ice bag – placing an icebag over the face where the abscess has burst can minimise the inflammation and bleeding. 

Symptoms Of Tooth Infection Spreading To Body?

If an abscessed tooth is not treated timely, the infection could spread to other parts of the body. When the inflammation enters the soft tissues, this condition is called cellulitis and can be potentially life-threatening if not treated promptly. Symptoms that indicate the spread of abscess inflammation elsewhere in the body include:

• Facial swelling causing bilateral asymmetry.
• Fatigue, restlessness, and confusion
• Increased heart rate and breathing. 
• High-grade fever – often exceeding 39 ℃.
• Dehydration – decreased frequency of urination and change in colour of urine. 
• Difficult or painful swallowing – due to the swelling.  

When To Go To The Dentist For Tooth Pain?

Toothaches can occur for a variety of reasons. Many situations causing tooth pain are not severe and do not require visiting an emergency dentist. However, there are certain situations in which a toothache may indicate a serious condition which must be treated without delay. Here are some cases involving dental pain which demand immediate treatment by an emergency dentist during lockdown.

• Something Stuck Between two Teeth – if something is stuck between your teeth, it can cause significant pain and discomfort – even bleeding. Before calling your emergency dentist, first, try to remove the foreign object by swishing with water. You may also gently use dental floss to remove the stuck item. If these measures as not successful, then you should visit your emergency dentist for treatment. 
• Dental Abscess or Swelling – if you feel that an abscess or any other swelling is growing in size, and you are experiencing symptoms that the inflammation is spreading to other body parts such as fever, pain lethargy and lightheadedness, then you should visit your dentist immediately.  
• Broken Tooth – a chipped or broken tooth can hurt very bad, especially if the underlying dentin and pulp layers are exposed. If you feel that you have a broken tooth, you should immediately visit your dentist, even if it is not aching yet. This is because the sooner you go to your dentist, the higher are the chances that your dentist can save the tooth – and prevent subsequent pain or inflammation. 
• Dental Injury – you should visit your dentist immediately in case of toothache caused by an accidental injury to the teeth or the face. 

Finding an emergency dentist during coronavirus is quite difficult. If you’re looking for an emergency dentist in Birmingham, then you have come to the right place.  

Whether it is an abscess, severe pain or any other type of dental emergency, we offer rapid treatmen. For the convenience of our patients, we are also open during the COVID-19 lockdown. If you feel that you have a dental emergency, simply visit here and follow the instructions to book an emergency appointment. We will take care of the rest.