Any oral issue that leaves you in severe pain counts as a dental emergency. Toothaches are your body’s way of letting you know something is wrong in your mouth. A severe toothache is a good indicator that the problem in your mouth is serious enough to require urgent care.
A dental emergency requires immediate care. Waiting up to two weeks for a regular appointment slot is not an option when you are dealing with pain so severe, it makes it impossible for you to concentrate on anything or get quality sleep at night.
The only permanent solution to severe tooth pain is diagnosing the cause of the patient’s problems and addressing them. Painkillers and other products that help with tooth pain only mask the pain until your body builds up resistance to their active ingredients.
Let us take a look at some of the common causes of severe tooth pain and how a dentist goes about addressing them:
A broken tooth might require emergency dental care if the damage reaches its pulp chamber. The pulp chamber is in the center of a tooth’s crown, and it contains its blood vessels and nerves. The area is sealed off from the rest of a tooth, and it is covered with a layer of dentin and enamel.
Minor damage to a tooth often only affects its enamel and dentin, but severe damage might open up the pulp chamber. Signs damage to a tooth has left its pulp chamber compromised include blood coming from inside the tooth, severe toothaches, and increased sensitivity. A tooth’s pulp chamber being opened up also significantly increases its vulnerability to infection.
Treatment
A severely damaged tooth can be addressed by performing root canal therapy. During the procedure, the tooth’s pulp chamber is cleaned out and sealed with a material called gutta-percha. That is typically enough to stop the pain caused by the damage and protect the tooth against infection.
A tooth infection develops when bacteria in the mouth infect the soft tissues in the pulp chamber. Tooth infections often come with symptoms like bad breath, severe pain, and pus coming from the tooth. The toothaches caused by an infection are some of the worse a person can experience. The infection in a tooth can also spread to other parts of the body like the brain and heart, which can have life-threatening consequences.
Treatment
Root canal therapy is the standard treatment for tooth infection. The dentist drills a hole into the tooth, and dental files are used to extract the soft tissues in the pulp chamber. The area is cleaned, and medication is inserted into the tooth before it is sealed. The dentist might recommend extracting the tooth if there is a risk of the infection spreading to other parts of the body.
Dealing with a nasty toothache? Give us a call or head to our Long Beach office to get the treatments you need.
Request an appointment here: http://lbfamilydental.com or call Leila Zamiri DDS at (562) 453-1214 for an appointment in our Long Beach office.
Check out what others are saying about our dental services on Yelp: Dental Emergency in Long Beach, CA.
An emergency dentist may be necessary. The tissue that makes up your gums does not grow back, so it can be scary in the unlikely event that you get lacerated on your gums. To clarify, a cut that comes from everyday activities such as flossing, brushing your teeth too vigorously, or biting down wrongly on…
Wondering what an emergency dentist can do for you? Read on to learn more about this type of dental health professional. Dental emergencies can arise unexpectedly, causing significant discomfort and anxiety. An emergency dentist can help in such cases. They provide immediate care and relief by addressing urgent dental problems that cannot wait for a…
A toothache is often the first sign that you need to visit the emergency dentist. If the toothache persists for more than a few days, you could be dealing with an infected tooth or worse. Without treatment, the situation may worsen and cause eventual tooth loss. The dentist will examine the tooth to learn the…
Emergency dentistry is a branch of dentistry that focuses mainly on addressing issues that require urgent treatment. A regular dental appointment might require you to wait one or two weeks for the next open slot on your dentist’s schedule. That is not an option when dealing with dental issues that cause excruciating pain, bleeding or…
An appointment with a family dentist will always be customized according to a patient’s unique needs, but there are still a few things that you can typically expect. Family dentists aim to identify problems early, before they become significant issues. They will strive to ensure that your teeth last as long as possible while giving…
Proper oral hygiene is an often-overlooked but important part of a person's dental health, as well as overall health. In general dentistry, routine dental exams are a crucial aspect of oral healthcare that maintains healthy teeth. However, there are many myths surrounding exams.The following are three of the most common myths about dental exams, as…