WHAT IS A DENTAL EMERGENCY?
A dental emergency is anything that requires immediate dental treatment due to oral trauma, severe decay, gum disease, tooth infection, or otherwise. If you are in severe pain, have uncontrollable bleeding, have a knocked-out or loose tooth, damage to the teeth or jaw, signs of an infection, these would be considered dental emergencies.
The first thing you should do when experiencing a dental emergency is to remain calm, try to stop any bleeding, and contact us right away for an emergency appointment. We will fit you in right away, diagnose the problem, relieve your pain, and get working on treatment right away.
DID YOU KNOW…
It is not a good idea to go to the ER for a dental emergency unless you are experiencing a life-threatening situation.
are you having a dental emergency?
WHAT TO EXPECT AT YOUR EMERGENCY DENTAL APPOINTMENT:
ORAL EXAM & X-RAYS
Dr. Parul Shridhar will need to examine your mouth to look for signs of oral trauma, bleeding, cuts in the mouth, and sharp edges of teeth, and any bone fragments. X-rays will be taken to look for tooth decay, gum disease, infection, or inflamed dental pulp.
REDUCE BLEEDING, SWELLING & PAIN
Our priority is to relieve your discomfort by addressing the source of your pain. We will administer a local anesthetic before commencing any dental work and we will also stop any bleeding and swelling.
TREATMENT PLAN
Once we’ve diagnosed the problem, we will formulate a treatment plan that will protect damaged teeth, treat decay, gum disease, or infections, and replace missing teeth.
AFTERCARE
After your treatment is complete, you may need to return for follow-up appointments. You will be given instructions on how to care for your teeth and gums post-treatment.
EMERGENCY DENTAL PROCEDURES
root canal treatment
EXTRACTION
TOOTH RESTORATIONS
TOOTH SPLINTING
SAME-DAY APPOINTMENTS
root canal treatment
If you have a tooth infection or damaged dental pulp due to untreated tooth decay or dental trauma, we will need to perform endodontic treatment. When your tooth’s soft center layer, known as the dental pulp, becomes inflamed, it needs to be removed.
We will perform a pulpectomy to scrape out the damaged dental pulp, clean & shape your canals, and fill the tooth with a gutta-percha material. While root canals typically take a few appointments to complete, this first procedure will relieve your pain. The access hole will then be sealed and we will protect your tooth with a dental crown.
extraction
In some cases, the tooth may not be salvageable and will need to be extracted. This could be the case due to extensive tooth decay that was left untreated for too long and the infection has now spread to other teeth or severe dental trauma that cannot be repaired.
You can be sure that at Tree of Life Dentistry we will always try to save your teeth whenever possible and will only revert to extractions as a last resort.
tooth restorations
If you have lost a tooth or need to have a tooth extracted, we can replace teeth with dental bridges, dentures, or dental implants. Damaged and vulnerable teeth can also be protected with dental crowns which can cover up chips and cracks and are very durable to restore the function and appearance of the tooth.
tooth splinting
When your tooth has been knocked out, we can sometimes reattach it with a tooth splint. First, you must locate the tooth and clean it (only in saliva or milk, never water). Try to reattach it as soon as possible.
If you are unable to reattach it, store it in a container of milk or your saliva and contact us right away. We may be able to reattach the tooth but the sooner you come in, the better your chances are of reattachment. A splint is a metal wire that stabilizes the teeth until they heal.
same-day appointments
No one should delay necessary dental treatment. This is why we vow to deliver same-day emergency care to those who need it. We leave a little room in our schedule each day to accommodate patients who are experiencing dental emergencies.
To schedule an emergency appointment at Tree of Life Dentistry, call us at (760) 255-0621 and Dr. Parul Shridhar will see you as soon as possible.
DID YOU KNOW…
Severe toothaches are considered dental emergencies because they indicate that something is wrong with your tooth. Healthy teeth should not cause any pain, let alone significant pain.
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