An Emergency Dentist Can Perform a Root Canal When You Need One

If you have a sudden toothache, call our emergency dentist office. This is important because a toothache may be the sign of a major infection.  Small cavities typically don’t hurt.  In fact, they may only cause minor discomfort when you eat certain foods.  Otherwise, they can go undetected unless you visit a dentist for an exam.  With that in mind, by the time you get a toothache, the cavity is either very large or your dental pulp has become infected.

The dental pulp is the soft center of the tooth and the nerves run through it. Therefore, when the pulp becomes infected or swollen the nerves are directly impacted, and a pain signal can be sent to your brain as a result.  This can lead to an unexpected but major toothache that requires immediate treatment. If this happens to you, we will examine your teeth and determine if you need a root canal in order to treat it.

If you do need a root canal, we will start by giving you sedation so that you don’t feel anything and can remain comfortable during the treatment. Next, we will create a small hole in your tooth so that the infected or swollen dental pulp can be removed.  If your roots are infected, we will remove them as well. This won’t negatively impact the health of your tooth because once it is fully grown the roots are only necessary for feeling hot and cold.  An emergency dentist will also clean the area to ensure that all of the infection is gone and prescribe antibiotics if it appears that the infection will remain.

Once the procedure has been completed, we will use a tooth-colored filling sealing up the hole and restore any of the tooth structure that is missing.  This can also be followed up with a dental crown in order to further strengthen and protect the tooth.  The crown is made of ceramic or silver amalgam and will surround the tooth entirely so that nothing can touch it.  This will ensure that you don’t feel any discomfort while eating or biting down. Once done; your tooth will feel as good as new.

As an emergency dentist, we also treat other common problems like a cracked or chipped tooth.  It is incredibly common for a tooth to become damaged or get knocked out while playing sports or even driving a car. Millions of car wrecks happen every year, and this creates multiple opportunities for teeth to become damaged.  Additionally, with the number of basketball, softball, hockey and other games happening throughout the country, teeth are often damaged due to an accidental elbow jab or a ball flying through the air.  Surprisingly, it isn’t the professionals that are at the greatest risk, but everyday people that play without protective gear.  If you find yourself in a situation where your tooth has suddenly become damaged or knocked out, we can help to restore it.  Call us immediately so that you can get back to normal right away.