Nervous about Your Dental Emergency Procedure? Learn What You Can Expect
It came out of nowhere—a dental emergency has disrupted your life and is causing you pain! You call your dentist right away, but you still feel a little panicky. What dental emergency procedure will they do to fix the problem?
While your dentist can’t say for sure which procedure you’ll require until they’ve had the chance to examine you, sometimes the symptoms point to a particular treatment. To put your mind at ease, you’ll find descriptions below of how dentists commonly handle certain emergency situations.
Toothache
Although not the only cause, tooth decay is often the reason behind tooth pain. The infection may have reached deep into the tooth, penetrating to the pulp or center, where the tooth’s nerve is. Once that happens, it can be really painful!
If a delving cavity is to blame for your discomfort, your dentist will likely perform a root canal. Despite its sometimes negative reputation, root canal therapy is virtually pain free and actually saves teeth from needing to be extracted. Basically, after numbing your mouth, your dentist removes the pulp entirely as well as the decayed structure, seals off the inner chamber, and then restores the tooth with a dental crown.
Chipped or Cracked Tooth
Looking at your smile can be alarming if you chip or crack a tooth. However, it can also impair your ability to eat and put the tooth at risk of further harm or decay.
Assuming the damage is mostly cosmetic, your dentist will likely present you with two options. You could either cover the tooth with a porcelain veneer or fill in or hide the tooth with tooth-colored composite resin, which is a treatment called cosmetic bonding.
For more seriously damaged teeth, such as cracks that go below the gumline, a dental crown may not be sufficient to hold the tooth together, meaning that extraction may become necessary.
Knocked-Out Tooth
Having a tooth come out completely can be a stressful situation and for good reason! You have a limited time when the tooth can be put back in and saved. If the tooth is successfully re-implanted, your dentist may need to put a splint to secure it until the connective tissues heal.
If, for whatever reason, the natural tooth cannot be placed back in its socket, your dentist will talk about possible replacements. For a single missing tooth, you have the choice between a dental bridge and implant. While a bridge requires reducing the two teeth around the gap, getting a dental implant involves a more invasive, but longer-lasting process that comes with many health benefits.
In the end, you won’t know exactly what to expect until you meet with your dentist. They can explain the extent of the damage, discuss your options, and help you decide which procedure(s) will work best to address your dental emergency. Before you know it, you’ll be smiling again!
About the Practice
Sparkling Smiles Fayetteville has the privilege of having two highly qualified dentists on staff. Dr. Dave Lee and his daughter, Dr. Lauren Lee Polito, offer comprehensive services, ranging from regular checkups to even the most advanced emergency care. Regardless of your situation, you’ll find a compassionate team ready to meet your needs and go above and beyond your expectations. If you have a dental emergency and need an appointment, you can contact Sparkling Smiles Fayetteville online or call the office at (770) 461-6465.
