An emergency dentist provides the urgent dental care you need when you need it. Minor dental issues like cavities do not get significantly worse if they are not treated immediately, but issues like an infection can become a life-threatening issue during that period. People who cannot afford to wait for a routine dental appointment to get dental care often seek the services of an emergency dentist.
An emergency dentist is an oral professional who is capable of treating a wide range of dental emergencies. Many allow patients to walk in for urgent care, while some allow patients to schedule same-day appointments. An emergency dentist can diagnose and treat dental issues during a single visit so the patient leaves with their problem resolved. Here are some of the issues an emergency dentist can help you with:
A knocked-out tooth is one of the most traumatic dental injuries a person can sustain, but the tooth can often be saved if it is still intact and the person makes it to a dentist within a few hours. It almost sounds too good to be true, since it means the patient can have their smile restored within a few hours. If the dentist is unable to reattach the knocked out, oral prosthetics like a dental implant can serve as a replacement.
An emergency dentist can help to stop an infection in its tracks before it spreads to more delicate parts of the body like the brain and heart, where it can be life-threatening. The standard way to treat an infected tooth is by performing a root canal. This involves cleaning out the contents of the tooth’s pulp chamber – the sealed-off inner chamber the tooth’s nerve and blood vessels are housed.
The dentist does this by drilling a hole into the tooth and using files to clean it out. Medication is inserted into the tooth to kill the bacteria left there, and it is sealed with gutta-percha. The dentist might recommend protecting the tooth with a crown depending on its location.
Broken teeth are another common dental emergency. They can be caused by accidents like slips or trauma to the face during physical activities. The severity of the damage determines if it counts as a dental emergency. Generally speaking, only broken teeth that compromise the pulp chamber or are accompanied by lots of bleeding count as a dental emergency.
Dentists typically fix severely broken teeth by performing a root canal. This protects against infection and stops any pain caused by the injury. The dentist might follow that up by placing a crown on what is left of the tooth so it does not disintegrate any further.
Any dental issue that causes excruciating pain or comes with lots of bleeding counts as a dental emergency. Give us a call or visit our San Diego clinic to get the treatment you need.
Request an appointment here: https://www.missionvalleydentalarts.com or call Mission Valley Dental Arts at (619) 805-4248 for an appointment in our San Diego office.
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Emergency Dentist in San Diego, CA.
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