It’s normal to feel awkward about your dental emergency. After all, the situation usually signals a lack of proper oral care or that you’ve had a clumsy accident. Still, as the saying goes, it could always be worse. Dental emergencies come in all shapes and sizes, but some can be particularly strange and embarrassing. To prove it, here are four patients who had rather weird dental problems. Read about them and appreciate that their issues didn’t happen to you!
#1: Veggie-Infused Teeth
There was once a patient who had emergency dental care for a nagging toothache and pain in his gums. After the first assessment, his dentist believed root canal therapy would help. As the procedure got underway, however, said dentist discovered the source of the problem: a plant had sprouted in his patient’s tooth!
Apparently, the patient had previously eaten a meal with tomato seeds. One such seed wedged into his mouth and, over time, started growing.
#2: Squirmy Kid Had a Wormy Smile
In another instance, worried parents sent their little boy to the emergency dentist for severe pain and swollen gums. The symptoms must’ve been terrible, as the child had never received dental work before this point.
Of course, the dentist has this new patient sit down for an examination. In short order, they then discover that the boy had maggots in his gums!
It seems a regular dental cleaning and check-up schedule can prevent all sorts of odd health matters.
#3: Dentures Need Removal!
An elderly patient once saw her emergency dentist to have her dentures fixed. While that isn’t odd, the reason the repair was needed definitely counts.
You see, this woman had left her dentures in her mouth for months on end. At no point had she removed them for cleaning. This fact not only led to the prosthetic wearing out but also awful breath and gum infection.
Let this be a lesson to those with their own dentures: Take them out daily!
#4: Superglue + Mouth = Big Problem
People rely on superglue for all sorts of fixes. Dental troubles, though, really shouldn’t be one of them. This patient learned that fact the hard way.
At one time, a woman’s dental crown fell out of her mouth. Her response? She tried to use superglue to re-fuse it to her tooth. Unfortunately, her method didn’t work — the crown remained unfused, plus she’d glued her teeth together and gotten the glue all over her mouth. She later needed her dentist to fix the original issue and her “solution.”
As you can see, some dental emergencies are more extreme than others. Work to prevent ones like those above by treating your mouth carefully!
About the Author
Dr. David M. Fisher, Jr. is a dentist in Greensboro, NC. For over twenty years, he’s been caring for his North Carolina patients’ teeth and gums. Besides preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry, he also offers dental sedation for those anxious about treatment. When needed, Dr. Fisher even provides same-day emergency smile procedures as well! He currently practices at his self-titled clinic and can be reached at his website or by phone at (336)-288-1242.