Here are Questions Normally Asked by an Emergency Dentist

You may need to visit an emergency dentist during the course of your lifetime, many people do. A variety of incidents or even an infection can send a patient to the emergency room or to an emergency dentist’s office. Over the years, we have developed a protocol, which we use on the phone, to make sure we get a clear understanding of what your emergency is. We have no intention of keeping you on the phone for any length of time. Rather, it is our aim to understand your situation, get a feel for what caused the circumstances, and then give you solid steps to take that will help minimize any permanent damage to your mouth while you prepare to come in. Understanding that people often have an emotional response to injury or dental pain, our team is very empathetic and will do their best to soothe your nerves as well as get a preliminary diagnosis.

If you visit an emergency dentist, we understand you are coming in because the pain is extremely severe or because you have a serious accidental dental injury. The very fact, that you are seeking medical attention, tells us that we need to get you in as soon as possible. To that end, we need to get a proper assessment of the situation and determine what your next steps should be. While we have you on the phone, we are also preparing for your visit and giving you instructions on how to be prepared as well. It is strongly advised that you have someone with you during this process and have someone drive you in as it is never a good idea to drive when you are impaired by pain or pain medication. 

Here are some of the questions we may ask you:

Are you bleeding? This is important for us to know so that we can give you advice on stopping the bleeding. Additionally, we will want to know how much you are bleeding and what steps you have taken to stop the bleeding. If we determine that it is excessive we may recommend that you go to the emergency room instead of our office. We do not want you to lose a lot of blood, and if the bleeding is mild we can advise you on ways to stop the bleeding on your way in. 

Is the tooth still attached? Whether or not your tooth is still in its cavity and attached is an important piece of information.  If it has fallen out we can provide you with information on what you need to do to keep it safe during transport to our office.  In general, we recommend locating the tooth and rinsing it in warm water without touching the roots.  Then, it should be placed in a glass of milk for preservation.  If necessary, you can even stop at the local gas station to buy milk on the way into our emergency dentist office. This may make it possible for us to reattach the tooth when you get here.  

More of Your Questions Answered by Our General Dentist Office

As a general dentist office, we find that many people visit the dentist with trepidation.  Hollywood has done an excellent job of portraying dentist as people that like to pull teeth and use noisy dental drills on unsuspecting patients.  If this is your idea of dentistry – keep reading.  In real life, your visit to our office will be welcoming, enjoyable and pain-free.  We take the time to get to know our patients and address their concerns while helping our patients to relax.  A lot of it comes down to a conversation and taking the time to answer our patient's questions.  After all, by being informed you can become comfortable with the procedures that we are recommending.  Since many of these questions are similar from patient to patient, we have answered them for you here.

Will my cracked tooth need to be pulled?

Probably not.  In our dental office, we specialize in dental restorations.  That means that if your tooth is cracked, chipped or infected we can usually save it.  By using a dental crown, dental veneer or a bonding procedure we can restore the functionality and appearance of a damaged tooth so that it can remain in place.  Likewise, if a tooth is infected, we can remove the infected area so that it doesn’t need to be pulled.  Our goal is to keep as many natural teeth in place as possible because this is what is best for the jawbone in the long-term. 

Are there new ways to treat cavities?

Dental technology has continued to improve, and the tools that we use are better than they used to be.  They are both smaller and quieter which means that we can treat a cavity faster and with more precision.  As new technology develops, we will continue incorporating it into our general dentist practice.  

Why does my crown need to be replaced?

Many people make the mistake of thinking that a dental crown will last forever.  Forever is a relative term but how long it lasts is, in part, up to you. If you take good care of your teeth and gums, preventing infections, your crown may last for a couple decades.  In fact, some people have had a crown in place for over twenty years.  Most people, however, need to replace their crown around the ten-year mark.  This is often due to oral hygiene and what foods are eaten but regardless, the material crowns are made of is not meant to last forever.  That means that over time it will wear out. If you grind your teeth at night you are at further risk of it becoming damaged.  In this case, we recommend wearing a night guard to prevent your upper and lower teeth from touching.  By taking these precautionary measures, you can keep your crown in longer.  If, however, it does need to be replaced you need to do so quickly so that the tooth underneath does not become irritated. 

Can my filling blend in?

Yes, we in our general dentist office, we use a tooth-colored ceramic material for fillings.  This way no one can tell that you had dental work done after your cavity has been treated.