What Does a Dental Emergency Look Like?

Tooth Breaks

Many times you find out while you’re brushing your teeth or while trying to bite an hard object that your tooth is broken. This, most times causes you to panic and sometimes shy to open your mouth. The panic is understandable but not justifiable because there is always a solution as soon as you call the right Dentist to handle it.

There are different types of breaks to the teeth. It could break from the gum, half the tooth, varying forms of fracture, teeth becoming loose and others too. All this have a solution, so there is no particular need to panic.

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Why People Get Broken Teeth

People still get their teeth broken, even though, it has the covering of the hardest substance in the body. The reasons are not far-fetched:

• Playing games without the proper mouth guard

• Chewing of hard objects

• Traumatic fall

• Blow

• Eating hard candies and acidic foods

Types of Tooth Breaks

There are different types of tooth breaks and most of them require emergency care. They are grouped into the following categories:

• Minor Cracks: These are also known as “Craze lines”. They are cracks that only affect the outermost layer of the tooth called the enamel. This type of crack does not usually result in a panic because it doesn't cause pain initially. If left untreated though, it might get deeper, particularly if it's not carefully managed.
   

• Cracked Tooth: This type of fracture involves the complete splitting or breakage of the tooth while the tooth is still in position. The tooth cracks from the enamel, through the dentine, even to the pulp cavity. This type of crack can be very painful because it involves the nerves and so it requires an emergency care. 
   

• Broken Cusps: This type of breakage only affects the chewing portion of the tooth and it does not usually break up to the pulp cavity. It can be painless but if not quickly attended to can extend to being abnormally painful.
   

• Serious Breaks: This type usually exposes the nerve and sometimes get it damaged. This breakage usually comes with a large bout of pain and it should be treated as an emergency condition.
   

• Vertical Breaks: This is also known as “Split Root”. It is the splitting of the tooth from the root to the enamel. This condition is also very painful and it is associated with inflammation of the gum and also nerve damage.
   

• Decay-Induced Breaks: This condition usually occurs as a result of wearing the tooth by a cavity from inside out. This causes the tooth to break and it is very important to treat it as an emergency situation especially if the decay has extended to the bone.

Can Breaks Be Treated?

Yes, they certainly can, there are different methods of treating breaks depending on the level of severity and the kind of break it is. Some of the modes of treatment are:

• Dental Bonding

• Use of Veneers

• Use of Crowns

• Root canal treatment

• Dental Implant

Below is an example of the use of porcelain veneers and bonding to reconstruct the broken teeth of a patient who fell down face first. 

Check out our Smile Gallery for more examples of how we treat breaks.

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Emergency Dentist Sydney Says:

In case you have any break of any kind, think no further, put a call through to Emergency Dentist Sydney and the solution will be right at your doorstep. The team is always at your call and beckon. They have recorded countless success stories of re-branded and remodeled broken teeth. Put a call through today and enjoy the best.

The 'White Teeth Diet'

Take It With a (White) Grain of Salt

Scrap the Atkins, Raw Food or Paleo Diets, we love the White Teeth Diet. We'd like to share with you how you can eat your self to a whiter smile.

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When considering a diet that is friendly to keeping your teeth white, it is just as important to avoid certain foods as it is to eat others. It's a little crazy but if you want to maintain that healthy white smile you were born with, or paid for, a few simple practices can help you out. There are three factors to keep in mind on this diet, chewing, saliva production and staining They all help to keep teeth healthy and white. Please keep in mind this isn't a whole diet you should live by, it's just a few simple steps you can take to keep teeth white. Let's start:

Do The More Often:

1. Apples, carrots, cauliflower, green beans and celery. These are the firmer, crunchier foods that require you to chew more. They act similarly to a toothbrush and scrub your teeth while you chew.

2. Hard cheeses. Similar to crunchy fruit and veg, they help clean the teeth by removing particles and preventing plaque build-up.

3. Citrus fruits like grapefruit, lime, lemon and oranges help rinse your teeth naturally while you eat, encouraging saliva production which protects the teeth.

4. Dairy products of course contribute to keeping teeth white. The lactic acid in dairy products will also help to prevent decay.

5. Water. The purest way to wash away any foods that potentially stain your teeth.

Do These Less Often:

1. Coffee and tea will stain your teeth.

2. Soft drink such as Coke and sports drinks will stain your teeth and cause decay.

3. Red wine is one of the worst for staining your teeth. That red wine smile isn't so cute either.

4. White wine causes tooth decay. Just like red wine, white wine has higher than normal pH levels which increases your loss of enamel.

5. Fruits like blackberries, pomegranates and blueberries will obviously stain the teeth.

6. Sauces like soy or currie will also stain the teeth and aid decay.
   -  Hot Tip 1. Anything that stains your shirt will stain your teeth.
   -  Hot Tip 2. If you can't give up your coloured drinks, use a straw.

At The #EmergencyDentist Sydney we couldn't live without wine! #AfterHours of course. Some of us even drink our coffee through a straw, yes it's as weird as it looks. But, drinking in moderation, properly brushing and flossing and regular check-ups will keep your teeth healthy and strong.

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The #EmergencyDentist Says:

For those of us who aren't lucky enough to be born with a pearly white smile, and for those who love a diet full of teeth-staining foods and drink, a regular clean or whitening from us can help you out.

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