Sometimes accidents happen and you may need urgent dental care, this could be due to a number of reasons. If you are in pain you could be wondering, is there an emergency dentist near me? Don’t hesitate to look into it, as there could be bigger underlying problems that are causing your discomfort, which will need to be resolved as soon as possible.
What is a dental emergency?
There are a few reasons as to why you may need an emergency dental appointment, and each one can bring pain and discomfort, which is a big red flag. The first and one of the most common reasons for having an emergency appointment is if you have broken or knocked out one of your teeth. This can be painful and can put your other teeth at risk of weakening. If you have completely knocked your tooth out, and have managed to save it, your dentist near Coorparoo might be able to reattach it. If they can’t, then they tell you the options you have to replace it, such as a dental implant.
Toothache is another common reason that someone may need an emergency appointment. This is due to the pain that toothache can cause, it can be debilitating and can disrupt your daily routine. You may experience symptoms such as extreme sensitivity and swelling of the gums. It is usually recommended to book an emergency appointment if you have been experiencing the pain for 2 days or more and painkillers do not help it.
What happens in an emergency appointment?
There are a few steps that are taken in an emergency dental appointment, each one being important to relieve pain and find the root of the issue if it is unknown.
Firstly, a dentist will do a thorough examination of the area to determine what is wrong. This may include scans such as X-rays so that a deeper examination of the area can take place. This is important for many reasons as it means that if you have damaged a tooth, then your dentist can see the extent of the damage. If you are just experiencing toothache, then they will do the best they can to find what the problem is from the scans and thorough examination.
If you are experiencing any severe pain, a local anaesthetic can be used to numb the area to increase your comfort during this process. This is great if you have toothache, as this can be extremely painful and you would have most likely been experiencing it for a day or two, so it is important to have some relief from it.
After this, if you have an injured tooth, the area will be sterilised as much as possible to reduce the risk of any infection. This is an important step in the process as you don’t want to leave the dental practice and have bacteria growing on the problem area, as it is already weak.
Once sterilised, your damaged tooth will be temporarily or permanently restored, depending on the severity. If your tooth cannot be saved, then an extraction will most likely take place. After this, you can discuss treatments with your dentist to replace the tooth in the future if needed.
Disclaimer: Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. Before proceeding you should seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner.
