If you’ve ever experienced a dental emergency, chances are that it included a broken tooth, toothache, knocked-out tooth, or broken restoration. However, sometimes a trip to the emergency dentist uncovers something a little bit more on the strange side. Continue reading to learn about some of the weirdest dental emergencies you’ve ever heard of and how they came about.
Tomato Plant
A patient rushed to the emergency dentist complaining of a toothache and discomfort. The dentist ordered for a root canal and started the procedure immediately. What the dentist wasn’t expecting was some seeds lodged deep into the gums with tiny plants growing out of the cavity. After talking to the patient, it was determined that they were tomato seeds that began to sprout in the gums.
Mouth of Maggots
A little boy began rubbing his swollen mouth, and his parents could tell that he was in pain. They took him to the dental office to have the issue examined, as he had never been to the dentist before. After taking a look in the child’s mouth, the dentist found that there were a bunch of maggots hiding in the young boy’s swollen gums.
Super Glue Gone Wrong
You should not try to fix any dental restorations by yourself, but one person didn’t get this memo. This patient tried to superglue her crown back on. In the end, she had the wrong teeth stuck together and superglue all over both the roof of her mouth and her throat.
DIY Palate Repair
Some dental emergencies could have been easily fixed early on, including when a man came into the dental office with one of the worst mouth infections in history. Turns out that the patient discovered a hole in his palate. Instead of heading to the dentist, he stuffed wads of tissue inside of it, changing them out once a week. Unfortunately for this patient, this sparked a terrible infection in his mouth.
Calculus Bridge
Many dentists have had to deal with teeth that were in pretty bad shape. If teeth are neglected, plaque and tartar buildups can occur and become quite serious. Eventually, this can even create a bridge between the teeth known as a calculus bridge. Once, a patient who had this issue began brushing vigorously as an attempt to remove this bridge. Turns out that the bridge was the only thing that was holding many of his teeth into place, so most of them fell out after just a few minutes.
Forgotten Root Canal
Root canals are a fairly common procedure that many patients have experienced at some point in their life. A British man once went into the dental office to have a routine root canal. However, he has been unable to hold any memories for more than 90 minutes ever since his procedure in 2005. After many years, doctors are still unsure how this happened.
As you can see, most of these strange emergencies could have been easily avoided by proper oral hygiene practices and regular visits to skilled dentist. Treating issues early on is the best way to avoid dental emergencies in the future.
About the Author
Dr. Tommy Murph is a well experienced dentist who has been practicing for more than 25 years so far. He earned his Doctor of Dental Medicine from the Medical University of South Carolina and has completed over 600 hours of continuing education courses. Dr. Murph is a member of both the American Dental Association and the South Carolina Dental Association. He offers same-day treatment for dental emergencies, even on Saturdays, at his practice in Conway. For more information or to schedule an urgent appointment, visit his website or call (843) 488-4357.