Any person, irrespective of age, can experience an abscessed tooth. An abscess is described as a pocket containing pus that is formed around the root of an infected tooth. If you or another person within your vicinity shows signs of having an abscessed tooth, it is crucial to know that it will not get better without medical help. You will need treatment from a specialist to ensure that your health is not compromised. If it is left unattended to, the infection can even spread beyond the jaw to the neck, head, or other parts. To avert this risk, it is essential to seek emergency services. Frontline ER would be an excellent option for those with an abscessed tooth or are feeling tooth pain.
An abscessed tooth is a threat to one’s body thus making it an emergency
This condition is often as a result of advanced decaying of the tooth. Gum disease can also cause it. An abscessed tooth, if ignored, can result in the infection of not only the tooth but the jaw and other body parts. One could also develop sepsis, which is an infection that is life-threatening as it spreads through the entire body. Such an infection could even spread to the airway, which could hamper breathing thus leading to death due to suffocation. Other bacterial infections could occur, which would necessitate lengthy hospital stays. Also, for those with compromised immune systems, an abscessed tooth amplifies the risk of the bacterial infection spreading to the other body parts. Additionally, the proximity of the teeth to the brain means that infections can speedily move from the jaw to the brain, which would become detrimental to one’s wellbeing. With the abscessed tooth being established as an emergency, visiting an emergency room is the prudent thing to do in such a situation.
People do not visit their dentist as is prescribed
Customarily, people are advised to see their dentist regularly. However, people do not do so. Nevertheless, regular checkups would have allowed the dentist to detect the impending condition, and the tooth could have been removed. Alternatively, a root canal could have been performed to avert the loss of the tooth. Nevertheless, people tend to be reluctant or constrained by their financial circumstances to follow the proper dental care. Experiencing an abscessed tooth means that it has reached the emergency stage, and immediate attention to it is imperative. Visiting an emergency room as soon as possible will prove beneficial.
The dentist may be unavailable
Dental offices are usually opened for about eight hours each day. However, an abscessed tooth may occur during the times the dentist’s office is closed. Waiting until the next time that the dentist will be available is risky. The wellbeing of a person can be compromised by an abscessed tooth if left untreated. Visiting an emergency room to get relief is the only option since an abscessed tooth is classified as a dental emergency. It is also unviable to wait when you are in a lot of pain. Pain is an emergency, and no one can be faulted for visiting the emergency room to seek reprieve.
Availability of extensive equipment and services at the emergency room
Having an abscessed tooth means that infection has already started and it could have spread to other body parts. At advanced stages, the dental condition cannot be treated at a dental office. An emergency room is the only facility that has the necessary equipment and personnel to handle the abscessed tooth and contain any widespread infection. Here, a CT scan can be done to establish the spread of the infection in addition to one being taken to the operating room to undergo oral incision and drainage. The infected tooth is also likely to be removed to facilitate treatment.
Monitoring services available at the emergency room
Emergency rooms are open 24 hours unlike dental offices, which are open for only a few hours a day. In the former option, a patient can be closely monitored even at night. In this way, medical personnel can ensure that the infection is contained and it does not spread to other body parts.
Home remedies would not work
People are accustomed to taking antibiotics to treat infections. However, in this case, they fail to deal with the infection. Other home remedies such as rinsing with salt water would also not work. The swelling would remain, and the infection would continue spreading to other body parts. Taking painkillers for the pain may give one relief, but the condition would persist. Getting to an emergency room as soon as possible is the only advisable option for those that find themselves in such situations.
In summary, it is essential to understand the risk that an abscessed tooth poses to one’s well-being, and why it is important to seek emergency services immediately. This condition, if left untreated, brings about costly treatments for other medical conditions.
