Dental emergencies are not good. They aren’t fun for you and your dentist never wants to see any patient suffer with pain, discomfort, or bleeding. Even if you’re usually comfortable going to the dentist, seeing an emergency dentist can be scary. Just remember: The solution for the complication you’re experiencing may not be nearly as invasive or complex as you imagine. If you contact your Manhattan Beach dentist right away for help, the fix for your emergency may be simple.
Lost Filling or Crown
Losing a filling or crown will probably freak you out a little. Try not to panic, but do call your emergency dentist right away. Repairs like these are meant to last for decades but they can fail because of an accident, teeth grinding, insufficient bonding, or even just biting down wrong a certain food. The biggest thing to worry about – besides appearance – is that the interior of your tooth could be exposed, and when that happens you set yourself up for bigger complications. To avoid this issue from developing, don’t wait to get help. The emergency repair may be a replacement filling or crown and ideally nothing more invasive is necessary.
Lost or Damaged Invisalign Tray
It’s not great if you lose an Invisalign tray. The whole point of the treatment is to keep your teeth moving consistently into alignment, and each tray has an important job to do to make that happen. However, if you do lose or damage a tray, it’s not the end of the world and all the work you’ve done thus far will not be for nothing. Don’t wait to report the issue – tell your Manhattan Beach Invisalign provider immediately.
There are typically two things that could happen next:
- Your dentist might tell you to move on to the next sets of trays, depending on how close you were to finishing the current trays. The goal is to keep aligners in your mouth for 20 to 22 hours a day, no matter what.
- You may be instructed to return to your previous trays. If you’re at the beginning of wearing a set of trays, it’s better to keep the just-moved teeth in place and wait for the replacement trays to come in so you can then move on. This will extend your treatment slightly but not by much.
Whatever you do, just don’t wait to report this problem. The longer you go without aligners on your teeth, the more progress that is lost.
Chipped Tooth
A chipped tooth is usually a cosmetic problem, especially if you have chipped a noticeable front tooth. This problem also doesn’t usually hurt. As dental emergencies go, the biggest side effect of a tooth with a chip is the appearance of your smile. If you can handle the problem, you may not bother to contact your dentist right away for help – but it’s smarter to get the chip fixed right away.
All the possible solutions for a chipped tooth are routine, quick, natural-looking, and strong. Your dentist may recommend a same-day porcelain veneer, same-day porcelain crown, tooth-colored filling, or dental bonding.
See your Emergency Dentist in Manhattan Beach
You may not want to call your emergency dentist, but it’s better to get help right away before an oral health problem gets worse. Contact Beachside Smiles in Manhattan Beach if you have a dental emergency.
