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Dental Health and Food: Learning to Eat Better

My intense love for candy, cakes, and everything in between started as a child. I simply couldn't go one day without something sweet to eat. But my love for all things sweet took a toll on my teeth. My dentist diagnosed me with seven cavities, each one a different size and depth. After sitting through four long dental appointments, I decided to make a change. I now monitor my diet and only eat things that benefit my oral health. I'm here to help you take better care of your teeth. My blog offers tips on how to improve your diet, maintain good oral hygiene, and many other topics. Hopefully, you can learn to overcome your bad habits just as I did. Good luck with your future dental health.

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Dental Health and Food: Learning to Eat Better

Signs That Your Tooth Crack Or Break Is An Emergency Situation

by Eric Bailey

A dislodged tooth, a large cut in the mouth, and severely damaged gums are all obvious oral emergencies. However, there are some types of oral emergencies that may not be quite as obvious. This is the case when it comes to chipped teeth since breaks are emergencies while others are not. Keep reading to learn about some signs that the issue is indeed something you need to speak to your dentist about as soon as possible.

Dental Pain

Many tooth cracks, chips, and breaks will hurt. This is typically true even if the tooth does not need to be treated right away. Most chips and breaks will reveal the tooth dentin. The dentin is far more porous than the enamel and you are likely to feel discomfort whenever the exposed dentin is subjected to a change in pressure or temperature. This is similar to the way the teeth may ache if you eat ice cream too quickly.

If the break issue is serious though, then the pain will be constant. The discomfort will be much worse than a simple ache, and the tooth will throb. If pressure is placed on the tooth, the pain will intensify and will be considered severe. In this situation, the dental pulp has likely been damaged in some way and the dental nerve attached to the tooth is releasing strong signals to alert you of the issue. 

Emergency dental pain cannot usually be reduced substantially with pain relievers. However, non-emergency type pain can, so try taking an NSAID pain reliever to see if your discomfort calms down. If it does not, then it is probably time to seek out a dentist.

Blood From The Tooth

Your gum tissues contain hundreds of tiny capillaries. These capillaries feed your gums and teeth and provide them with the nutrients they need to thrive. Capillaries are easily broken though, so it is not surprising to see blood in your mouth when a tooth is injured. However, you should look closely to figure out where this blood is coming from. If the blood is coming from the tooth itself, then this is an emergency situation.

To figure out if your tooth is in fact bleeding, rinse your mouth out gently with warm water and inspect the crack. If you see any blood or pink tissues, peeking out from the tooth, then this is the tooth pulp. 

If you see tooth pulp, then an emergency root canal will likely need to be completed. While this may not sound pleasant, it will help to save the tooth and prevent an infection from developing. 

If you are unsure if your tooth crack is truly an emergency or not, then it wise to speak with your dentist as a precaution. 

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