What is a Dental Emergency?

A dental emergency is a situation that requires urgent treatment.

Most people don’t understand that a broken or knocked out tooth is a dental emergency. However, if an individual fails to identify the severity of these conditions, they may end up with more complications.

Our emergency dental services include:

Toothaches

Toothaches, or pain around teeth, gums, or the jaw can manifest from a variety of oral problems such as a dental cavity, cracked or chipped tooth, exposed tooth root, gum disease, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders, or a dental abscess or infection.

The only way to identify the cause of your toothache is to have a dental exam and x-ray. It is important to note that tooth pain may subside temporarily, but will almost never stop permanently until the cause has been identified and addressed by a dentist. Left untreated, these problems can quickly lead to additional oral problems or complications resulting in more expensive treatments or even the loss of the tooth or teeth. Maintaining good oral hygiene is also important to your overall health and wellness.

Root Canals

Every tooth has at least one root. A large molar in the back of the mouth can have up to four roots. An abscess can form at a tooth’s root, causing inflammation and pain. When this happens, our dentists clean out the canals of the affected tooth, treat the abscess, fill the canal with gutta percha (a rubber-like material), top it off with filling, and cap the tooth with a new crown so that it won’t break.

In some more complicated cases, our doctors may refer you to an endodontist (root canal specialist).

Cavity Fillings

Cavities are holes in your teeth formed by decay. They are the number one cause of toothaches, and dental cavities also cause infections and lead to tooth loss. Treating cavities early prevents unnecessary pain and expense. When you have a cavity, we’ll remove the decay, clean the tooth and add a filling to make your tooth pain-free and good as new.

Crown Treatment

A dental crown is a cap put over a tooth to strengthen it and make it look better. If you’ve lost part of a crown, sustained a tooth fracture, or if your dentist feels it necessary, we will prepare the tooth, and fit you with a new crown.

Bridge Treatment

Bridges are made to replace missing teeth. They can replace one or multiple teeth next to each other. Unlike partial dentures, a bridge is permanently set in your mouth.

Common Extractions

Removing a tooth is always a last resort. We’ll do whatever we can to repair the tooth with a root canal or crown first. But, if a tooth must be extracted, we’ll take care of it for you, administering a local anesthetic to make sure you’re comfortable throughout the extraction.

Surgical Extractions

Surgical extractions are sometimes necessary for teeth that must be removed but cannot easily be accessed by the dentist. Like common extractions, you’ll be given a local anesthetic to make you comfortable during the procedure.

Wisdom Tooth Extractions

Most people have wisdom teeth, but can’t keep them clean or don’t have room in their mouths for their wisdom teeth to completely break through their gums. Sometimes, wisdom teeth can partially break through, leaving a small space for decay to set in. Tooth decay can infect the tooth and surrounding areas, and may cause substantial pain. If you’re in pain from a decaying wisdom tooth, Emergency Dental Care can treat the infection, and if necessary, extract the tooth.

Broken Teeth

Although teeth are remarkably strong, a bad fall or blow can cause a tooth to chip, crack or break. Exposed nerves on broken teeth are extremely sensitive to hot or cold food and drinks, limiting what you can consume and causing you significant pain. Our dentists can repair the chips in the teeth with tooth-colored material, or place a crown over the tooth.

Periodontal Scaling, or Gum Cleanings

Periodontal, or “gum” cleanings are used to treat gum disease. Gum disease is caused by heavy plaque and tartar buildup. Over time, plaque causes gums to become inflamed and bleed easily, which is a condition called gingivitis. Untreated, gingivitis can turn into periodontal disease, causing gums to pull away from teeth. Painful pockets of disease can destroy bones, gums and mouth tissue. This is a serious and very painful condition that our dentists can treat with scaling or root planning.

Abscesses and Swollen Jaw

An abscess is a swelling in the jaw, tooth or gums. Swelling can signal a number of underlying problems such as cavities, infected root canals, diseased gums, or even a broken jaw. Our dentists will perform a thorough examination of your mouth, teeth and gums to find and treat the cause of your mouth pain.

Dentures

Dentures have been used for centuries to replace missing teeth. If you have missing teeth and need dentures for the first time, we can make or repair a quality set of full or partial dentures just for you.