Is your nagging toothache giving you sleepless nights? Is your dentist fully booked for several days or weeks? Emergency dental care is a cause of concern for many patients, as most dentists have a full schedule for days to come. Dr. Francisco Rodriguez and his team of experts at Gentle Touch Dental PC offer emergency dental care to meet your needs at that critical moment.

What is a dental emergency?

A dental emergency is a condition where you experience severe pain in the mouth. It can occur alongside other symptoms such as swelling of the gums, fever, and infection. The pain may remain unbearable despite administering anti-inflammatory drugs and analgesics, and can result from an aesthetic emergency due to a detached dental ring, loose bridge, or broken tooth. You may also experience discomfort when your ceramic or metal braces become loose. When this happens, your dentist applies immediate intervention to relieve pain as you await other treatment options.

What to expect during a dental emergency?

At the hospital, Dr. Francisco Rodriguez evaluates the medical emergency by assessing both the intensity and cause of pain. After locating the pain and the specific tooth from where the pain is emanating from, the dentist will want to know if you have any allergies, underlying medical conditions, or if there are medications or drugs you are taking. Your dental history will then be evaluated, and x-rays may be conducted.

During a dental emergency, your dentist does not conduct extractions or other dental procedures such as crowning, filling, and bridging. For an infected tooth, your doctor will likely drain the pulp and apply a temporary anesthetic. If the dental prosthesis is damaged, however, the expert can send it in for an emergency repair at the laboratory.

Since dental emergencies may occur outside of typical office hours, the standby team can perform a set of procedures to ease your pain. If you have a broken jawbone, the expert will apply ice and use pain relievers to calm the pain.

Examples of dental emergencies

Pulpitis is the inflammation of the nerve in your tooth. The first sign is the experiencing of sharp pain when consuming hot, sweet, or cold food or drinks. You may also experience pain when you chew, or you might notice bleeding from your gums. If left untreated, pulpitis can lead to a tooth abscess, and the pain can become unbearable. Under such circumstances, your Gentle Touch Dental PC doctor will open the tooth to apply an anesthetic, and may also prescribe medication to treat the infection.

Another condition is Alveolitis. This is the inflammation of your tooth socket, which is a tiny opening that joins the tooth to the jawbone. The severe pain associated with this condition may require rapid intervention at the health center, with your doctor starting by cleaning the area and applying a powerful anesthetic. The doctor may then initiate bleeding for clot formation, and will prescribe a drug after that.

Dental bleeding will occur after tooth extraction. When this happens, your doctor will apply gauze to the socket to stop the bleeding and cause clotting.

If you are experiencing a dental emergency, contact Dr. Francisco Rodriguez immediately to save you from tooth loss.

Joyce Laroche