Many people follow professional recommendations to see their dentists every six months for checkups. However, you may find yourself in need of emergency dental care between your routine dental appointments. Dental emergencies can cause pain and permanent disfigurement if they aren't treated immediately. Here are four emergency dental care services that can alleviate your discomfort and save your tooth:

1. Dental Bonding

The hard enamel of your teeth can chip if you accidentally bite down on a bone, rock, or other foreign objects while enjoying a meal. Teeth can also become chipped if you fall and hit your mouth. Chipped teeth can cause pain, and they can even cut the soft tissue of your mouth if you're not careful. An emergency dentist can use a technique called dental bonding to fill in chips using tooth-colored resin. The resin will cover your exposed nerves to stop your pain and restore your beautiful smile.

2. Tooth Splinting

Sometimes mouth injuries lead to more serious tooth damage than just chips and cracks. Teeth can be knocked loose if enough force is applied. An emergency dentist may be able to save your tooth if you store your tooth appropriately. Missing teeth should be rinsed with only water and kept in the patient's mouth until they can see a dentist. Once you arrive at the emergency dental clinic, your dentist will replace your tooth in its empty socket and attach dental splints to hold it in place. Over the next few weeks, your body will repair itself, and your loose tooth will reattach, after which time your dentist can remove the dental splints.

3. Antibiotic Prescription

Teeth and gums can become infected if bacteria get inside them and begin to proliferate. Infected teeth and gums may be hot and swollen. They may leak pus, and they are often extremely painful. Your dentist can help you clear up tooth and gum infections by writing you a prescription for antibiotics. While a course of antibiotics will clear up an existing infection, it's also important that patients seek treatment for the underlying tooth or gum condition that caused the infection so that it does not recur.

4. Dental Filling

Emergency dentists can perform dental fillings for patients with painful cavities. When patients present with tooth pain, emergency dentists will order x-rays of the affected tooth. If the x-rays show tooth decay, the dentist will remove it using a drill before replacing the missing enamel with a dental filling.