Austin, TX – There is a common analogy that doctors, and emergency dentists say to their patients and their students, “Nine times out of ten, when you are looking for a zebra, it is most likely a horse. ” This means that most of the time, when people run across a problem, it is usually something that is common and requires a more tried and true solution. Basically, if someone comes to the dental office with a cavity or two, then you know poor hygiene is more likely than not the culprit. But what about the rare cases? Just because they are least likely to happen does not mean that it cannot exist. Plus, talking about strange and unusual things can be fascinating and stirs a little bit of conversation. That’s why today, we are going to talk about the more rare reasons that you would need to visit an emergency dentist.
Your Gums becomes a Garden
“Don’t eat those watermelon seeds! It could grow in your tummy before you know it!” This was the kind of old wives tales most parents told their children to prevent them from swallowing seeds filled with cyanide or any other trace of natural poison. While it is possibly a fun and silly deterrent to keep children from swallowing things, that is not remotely likely to happen. Our stomachs are filled with acid and the seeds we do swallow are hardy enough for them to survive our digestive system and wind up in our feces.
However, given the right circumstances, they can grow from inside our molars. Our mouths, especially with bad brushing habits, are filled with bacteria, the very origin of life itself. Combine that with water that comes from natural saliva and a place where a seed cannot be disturbed like a cavity inside a molar, and you get the perfect garden from your gumline.
According to the British Dental Journal, this exact thing happened. A 36 year old Taiwanise man ate some guava and a few days later, complained about a toothache. He went to an emergency dentist and inside a decayed third molar was a sprouting guava seed. That is a good reminder to brush your teeth.
An Emergency Dentist can remove Extra Adult Teeth
Typically, adults have one set of baby teeth, followed by a set of adult teeth. But thanks to a combination of natural genetic mutations and hereditary features, it is possible that you can grow more adult teeth later on in life. The condition is technically labeled hyperdontia, and it often means an extra tooth located behind the upper front teeth. Later on in life your adult teeth can come loose to make room for those extra teeth, or they can simply overlap above or behind where they are expected to grow. These days any emergency dentist can remove those extra teeth.
An Emergency Dentist can Help with Tooth Fusion
Just as you can have more teeth than the usual amount, you can get fewer teeth than usual thanks to another condition. In fact, you could have a condition where two different teeth can fuse together, creating a singular tooth instead. They could either be a pair of teeth that fused at the root, or a single big tooth that is a fusion with two different roots. In either case, these types of tooth fusions can cause overcrowding, and possible tooth decay.
Do You Need an Emergency Dentist?
Usually, an experienced dentist who sees a patient regularly will be able to pay attention to any signs of it going on and can treat it accordingly. But if you are feeling any pain, especially out of nowhere, or it is growing over time, that is when you should see an emergency dentist. Whether the condition is common or rare, Austin Family Dentist can be there to get you the care that you need.