If you need a regularly scheduled dental cleaning or you need to have your teeth whitened, then you know that it can wait. However, when you run into certain oral problems, they can suddenly turn into an emergency. Because dentists typically only work four or five weekdays, close by five, and are off on the weekends, if you run into an emergency, they may not be able to help you out for a couple of days or at least until normal business hours. Luckily, with dental emergency care, you can get the help of a dentist whenever you need. But what qualifies as a dental emergency? 

A Missing Tooth

Patients can suffer from a missing tooth for a variety of reasons, but most commonly it's due to things like an injury or an accident. If you were involved in a fight or got into some sort of accident while exercising and you lost a tooth, you should call an emergency dentist. Why? They may be able to restore your tooth right away or put in a dental prosthesis to make sure that nothing gets worse. Additionally, they will make sure that all of the tooth has come out so that you don't get an infection. 

An Infected Tooth

When a tooth gets infected, it can lead to a host of different health issues, including a fever, headaches, chills, nausea, and even fatigue. If you think that you have an infected tooth, don't wait until your regular dentist is open or can squeeze you in because the infection can spread to other parts of your body. Instead, schedule an appointment with an emergency dentist right away, and they will do a variety of things, including putting you on antibiotics to ensure that the infection stops and that you get on the road to recovery right away. 

A Painful Tooth

Having a small cavity can lead to some pain that can usually be temporarily treated with over-the-counter drugs like ibuprofen. However, if you are experiencing extreme pain that makes it impossible to chew, talk, or even sleep, then you may have a really bad cavity or you may have something else going on in your mouth. Rather than just suffering through it, schedule an appointment with an emergency dentist. 

An emergency dentist isn't someone who you should see for something small like a canker sore or a little bit of gum pain, but if you find yourself in one of these situations, then they may be able to help you out. To learn a little bit more, reach out to a clinic that offers dental emergency care.