What is a dental emergency?
Dental emergencies come in all different shapes and sizes. It can range from anything from a toothache, tooth pain, a knocked-out tooth, a chipped or broken tooth, or even an injury to something in or around your mouth. The best way I could describe this to you is you will know if you're having a dental emergency. If you're looking up this video right now, you may be experiencing a dental emergency.
What would be the difference of needing an emergency dentist versus going to the ER?
Going to the ER would be something that is life-threatening. So if you have a severe infection that's making its way from your mouth into the rest of your body, say into your throat, your neck, or into your eyes, those kinds of things, that would be something that you would go to the ER for and be treated with antibiotics, usually through an IV. However, anything dealing with your teeth, such as pain, swelling in and around your mouth, those would all be things that an emergency dentist would treat you for.
What if I have a tooth problem that's not a pressing need?
If it's not a pressing need, like let's say you chipped a tooth and nothing's hurting you and it's not a severe cosmetic emergency, that would be something you could just call the dentist and make a regular appointment for. We could even have you come in and do a full exam or do a focused exam on that one spot. That would be more of a routine check and we can figure out a treatment plan for you.
What is the main goal of an emergency dentist?
The main goal of an emergency dentist is to get you out of pain. Tooth pain can be one of the most severe things that a human can experience. If you're in pain, you probably need an emergency dentist and our whole goal is to get you comfortable and get you out of pain. Or if it's a cosmetic emergency, to get you your smile back in a hurry so you can get back to life.
What happens if I need to have a tooth extracted?
Sometimes when you go to the emergency dentist, you may need to have a tooth extracted. That could be a wisdom tooth, a tooth that is severely decayed, or broken down. In any case, we want to rid your body of the infection and get you healthy again as soon as possible. Sometimes the tooth is actually salvageable and you get to keep your tooth, but you may need something called a root canal.
What is a root canal?
A root canal is essentially ridding your tooth of any infection or bacteria, cleaning it out, sterilizing it as much as possible, and then sealing it off so that you can keep your tooth. The best way you can ensure your root canal is a good experience is to come in sooner than later. The bigger the infection or abscess, the more difficult a tooth is to be numb. So if you've ever heard a story about a person having a painful root canal, most likely it was because the abscess got so big, you couldn't get that tooth numb. So come in sooner than later. Call us right away if you need help.
Here at Monahan Dentistry and Implant Center, we often have same-day appointments available. In some severe cases, we may even schedule a late hour or even a weekend appointment for you. So if you are experiencing a true dental emergency and you're in severe pain, please call, please text. If there's any way that we can respond to you and help you, we will do our very best.
I hope you are not having a dental emergency, but if you are, please give us a call. The number is (623) 294-1333. I'm Dr. Monahan from Monahan Dentistry and Implant Center, and I hope to meet you soon.