When people think of emergency dentistry, a root canal is not often the first word that comes to mind. Chipping a tooth, maybe, or maybe some oral trauma happened due to a car wreck — but a root canal? That advanced procedure is something that is taken care of during a regular dentist appointment, right? It hardly constitutes an emergency.
However, this is not always the case. While root canals may not be the first thing a person thinks of when considering emergency dental care, in some cases it can be a required emergency treatment.
A root canal is a procedure by which one can save a tooth that has become badly infected. The dentist drills a hole in the tooth and removes the infected pulp and nerve before thoroughly cleaning and sealing it. This prevents infection from spreading throughout the mouth and abscesses from forming in the gums, tooth or jaw.
Normally, fillings are enough for external tooth infections or decay. However, when an infection has gotten inside the tooth, a simple filling does not suffice. A root canal is generally the only way to take care of the problem outside of pulling the tooth out entirely.
Sometimes, symptoms arise due to complications of the oral infection that either cannot wait or are very difficult for the patient to bear. It can interfere with daily life to the point of distracting the sufferer at work, school or at home, preventing them from doing daily activities.
Specifically, the patient may experience intense pain that can encompass not just the tooth in question but radiates over a larger area. The patient may have difficulty eating, or the tooth may be hypersensitive to touch. In some cases, a small red bump may be seen near the affected area, which is the sign that an abscess may be forming.
One of these symptoms is bad enough. If a patient is dealing with a combination of these ailments, it can be quite problematic. In this case, an emergency procedure can be done.
When the signs of a badly infected tooth start to show, it is important to get it looked at right away. While some patients may wait because their case does not ‘feel’ like an emergency (as in, they are not in enough pain to believe it warrants a dental visit), putting off an important procedure is not the right way to go about taking care of one's oral health.
If you are feeling discomfort and there are external signs of severe infection (swelling gums, discoloration in the tooth, potential abscesses forming around the affected area), pay attention to the signals your body is sending you. Do not wait. The sooner an infected tooth is dealt with, the more problems can be avoided, both in terms of pain and in overall health.
Request an appointment here: https://www.arcdentistry.com or call Arc Advanced Dentistry & Cosmetics at (516) 301-9038 for an appointment in our Long Beach office.
Check out what others are saying about our services on Yelp: Read our Yelp reviews.
Faced with tooth removal or saving the tooth, dentists believe attempts should be made to keep the tooth, which is why dentists perform root canal therapy — a painless and meticulous process of saving the tooth from extraction by removing the infection from the root and strengthening it.Also called endodontic therapy, the root canal procedure…
A root canal is a procedure that dentists can perform to stop infection inside a tooth by removing its pulp, or the material in the center of a tooth. Since teeth are made of enamel and other hard materials, they do not swell up to warn you that an infection might be present, like other…
When the subject of a root canal comes up, people often imagine an unbearable dental procedure that requires a relatively long recovery period. Endodontists perform a root canal when there is an issue such as infection or inflammation, which could cause tooth decay, cracked teeth or continuous treatment of the affected areas. Undergoing a root…
Root canal treatment, also known as endodontic therapy, isn’t something most people think about daily, but it’s one of the most common treatments available. If you experience pain in your teeth and are considering treatment, then you may have heard of endodontic therapy, which can save your teeth and make sure you have good oral…
Emergency dentistry for a root canal is sometimes the only way to relieve your pain. Some patients may have a root canal scheduled for a future date, but they find themselves in severe pain at an inconvenient time because of tooth pain. There may even be times when a patient may not realize they need…
Dental bonding and teeth whitening are common dental procedures that improve the appearance of your smile. However, some patients are concerned that their teeth may not have the same shade after teeth whitening, particularly if they have had dental bonding on one or more teeth. This review helps patients deal with this concern. Understanding the difference…