Emergency Dentistry – Bloomfield, CT

How to Handle Common Dental Emergencies

One of the first things you should do when you experience a dental emergency is give us a call. However, even before you get to our office for your emergency appointment, there might be some things you can do to manage the situation. Below are some simple strategies to assist you in dealing with a dental emergency.

Toothache

When you experience a toothache, try rinsing your mouth with warm water and inspect your teeth to be sure there is nothing caught between them. If pain continues, use a cold compress to ease the discomfort. Do not apply heat or any kind of aspirin or topical pain reliever directly on the affected area, because this can cause damage to the gums. When you get to our office, we might perform root canal therapy to relieve your pain and save your tooth.

Chipped/Broken Tooth

Rinse your mouth with warm water and then use a cold compress to reduce swelling. Try to locate and save the tooth fragment that broke off. Call us immediately. We will repair the tooth if possible, but an extraction may be necessary.

Knocked-Out Tooth

Find the tooth and rinse it with water (no soap), taking care to only touch the crown of the tooth (its top portion). If you can, place the tooth back in its socket and hold it in place with a clean towel or cloth. If you cannot return the tooth to its socket, place it in a clean container with milk. In either case, call us immediately and/or head to the hospital. If you act quickly, it might be possible to save the tooth.

Lost Filling/Crown

You can use sugar-free chewing gum or dental wax to cover any jagged edges in your mouth and provide a bit of protection for your vulnerable tooth. It might even be possible for you to temporarily reattach a crown so your tooth is not completely exposed while you are waiting for your emergency dental appointment.

How to Prevent Dental Emergencies

Here are some tips to help you reduce your chances of facing a dental emergency:

• Always maintain a thorough oral hygiene routine
• Visit us at least twice a year for a cleaning and checkup
• Schedule an appointment at the first sign of a dental problem; do not want until your pain is severe
• Always wear a mouthguard when you play sports
• Do not chew on hard objects, like ice or your fingernails
• Do not use your teeth to open packages

The Cost of Treating Dental Emergencies

The cost of treating your dental emergency will depend on the nature of the problem. If all you need is a prescription for antibiotics, you will likely pay much less than if you require root canal therapy or another complex procedure. We will be upfront with you about pricing, and our team will help you explore payment options, such as insurance and financing. Do not let concerns about cost hold you back from getting the care you need; delays will only make the problem worse — and most costly to treat.

Root Canal Therapy

Innovations in dentistry continue to increase the likelihood that patients will be able to keep their natural teeth for life. Dental practices are dedicated to restoring teeth whenever possible and view extraction as a last resort. Advances in root canal therapy make it possible for more people every year to keep teeth that have extensive damage to the inner, soft tooth layers. While root canal therapy is often thought of negatively, the procedure can actually greatly reduce the amount of pain you experience!

Endodontics is a specialized area of dental care that focuses on understanding the tooth from the inside out. A major portion of endodontic study revolves around root canal therapy. If you have ever needed a root canal, you probably remember experiencing pain prior to the procedure. Within the roots of your tooth, there are canals that surround pulp and bundles of nerves. Root canals cause are necessary when infection reaches the nerves that are usually protected within your tooth.

Root canal therapy is a dental procedure to remove the soft interior of a tooth, including its pulp and nerves. A root canal becomes necessary when tooth decay or infection has spread to the interior of the tooth. Your dentist fills the cavity with gutta percha, a natural polymer (plastic) that provides support for your tooth the same way that the pulp does. Finally, a resin substance bonds to the tooth to restore any damage on the surface caused by decay or created during the root canal procedure.

Learn More About Root Canal Therapy

Tooth Extractions

We aim to help our patients retain their natural teeth for a lifetime. In some cases, however, one or more teeth must be removed. This may be true if a tooth is extremely damaged, the wisdom teeth are threatening a patient’s oral health, or we must make room for orthodontic treatment. When we must perform an extraction, we do so as gently as possible. Local anesthesia and sedation can ensure you are comfortable while we work.

Wisdom Tooth Extractions

Even the most dedicated dentist will likely encourage the extraction of your third molars. These teeth served a purpose to our ancient ancestors who were much harder on their teeth. After some 20 years of chewing coarse grains, eating tough meats, cracking nuts between their teeth, and never brushing or flossing, our human predecessors lost many of their molars by the time their third molars appeared. For nearly 400 years, these teeth have been affectionately referred to as teeth of wisdom or wisdom teeth because they appear as people enter adulthood.

So why do dentists almost always recommend extraction of wisdom teeth? In short, because we do not need them — and many patients’ mouths are too small to properly accommodate them. Because most patients retain their molars, the third set can create bite alignment concerns as they emerge. Lack of space can cause the wisdom teeth to become impacted (stuck beneath the gumline). Impaction can also be caused by the angle of the teeth, especially if the wisdom teeth are growing horizontally toward your other teeth. Unremoved wisdom teeth can cause crowding, gum problems, and serious levels of pain.

It may come as no surprise that every person’s smile is unique, and this includes their third molars. Some patients have only one wisdom tooth, and up to six have been reported by dental researchers. Unless you have extra space in your bite, or your wisdom teeth never surface and do not cause pain, you should probably have them removed as soon as they erupt — regardless of how many wisdom teeth you have.

Wisdom tooth extraction ranges from a simple procedure to surgical removal. A fully erupted tooth is not anchored as firmly in the jawbone and can be extracted or “pulled.” However, when wisdom teeth are impacted in the jaw, this can require surgical removal, which is more involved and requires an increased amount of healing time. Wisdom tooth extraction in adults is usually much more difficult because the roots are full grown and the jawbone is denser.

As soon as you notice wisdom teeth erupting or begin to experience pain from these teeth, schedule an appointment with Family Dental Practice of Bloomfield. Our knowledgeable dentists will examine your teeth and develop a wisdom tooth care or extraction plan that is right for you.

Learn More About Wisdom Teeth Extractions