Don’t Delay On Repairing An Abscessed Tooth

There are certain dental issues that need to be treated with the same fast care as chest pains or other serious medical conditions, and an abscessed tooth is one of those. The problem is that an abscessed tooth is often mistaken for just being a tooth ache, and that can be a really serious mistake.

The Symptoms
An abscessed tooth is normally easy to identify. Aside from major throbbing pain up in the gums or root area of a tooth, there is often major swelling in the gums. An abscessed tooth is a bacterial infection and because of that, it is especially serious.

Common Symptoms Include:
– Bad breath
– Fever
– Swelling & severe pain
– Problem chewing
– Severe temperature sensitivity to hot and cold
– Open sores in the mouth

These are just the beginning, however. It’s important to understand that when left untreated, this infection can easily spread into the blood which can then go through your system and especially to affecting your heart. This leads to severe medical issues and complications that can almost always be avoided if the abscessed tooth is treated immediately.

Even in situations where it may take time to get an oral surgeon to extract the tooth, dentists will want patients suffering from an abscessed tooth to get on antibiotics immediately to lessen the chance of the infection spreading and at the very least keep it contained and better controlled.

Not A Minor Problem
An abscessed tooth will at the very least need a root canal, careful medication, and special treatment. However, there are also many times when having an abscessed tooth also means that the tooth will eventually have to be removed. This is often the case with severe tooth decay, so it’s not a problem that should be put off. There are too many health ramifications – so get any abscessed tooth treated as quickly as possible.

All About The Process of Extracting a Tooth

Tooth Extractions: The Process Explained

If you need to have a tooth extracted, we will make sure that you are comfortable each step of the way. Although it may seem frightening, once you understand the process, you will see that it is pretty straight-forward. This should alleviate your concerns and let you focus on healing and maintaining your oral health.

The first step involves numbing the area. We will inject a small amount of local anesthesia into the gums. After a few minutes, we will perform a pain test. Additional applications may be done to ensure that you do not experience sharp pain during the procedure.

Next, we will use special tools to pull the tooth from the socket. At first, we will employ a rocking motion. Though some patients interpret this as difficulty in removing the tooth, that is not the case. When moving the tooth back and forth, it helps to expand the socket and make it easier to pull out.

The specific tools used during the extraction process will vary depending upon which tooth is being removed and the health and size of the remaining tooth. We may need to use more than one tool to further loosen the tooth and extract it cleanly.

You will feel some pressure during the procedure but should not experience pain. If for any reason you do, raise your hand to alert us and we will rectify the situation.

Once the tooth has been pulled, you will need to bite down on gauze until the bleeding has subsided. We will provide a prescription for pain medications or make recommendations for over-the-counter medicines depending upon your medical needs.

Make sure to follow our instructions regarding taking care of the area so that you do not experience a dry socket or other complication.

The Truth About Dental Emergencies from Dentist’s Point of View

A dental emergency can occur at any time of the day or night. Independent of the nature of the emergency, whether it’s a tooth or gum injury you should not ignored it at all cost. By ignoring, you would be risking permanent dental damage or allow for more damage later on which would require extensive and expensive treatment.

Most emergency calls come in when heading home on a Friday night with the caller having broken a tooth, doesn’t have enough money to afford fixing his tooth. Most callers hope that you are going to prescribe them some medication to get them through the weekend. While most dentists find such emergency callers as inconveniencing, the truth of the matter is that they offer one of the best opportunities in the field of dentistry. This is because most of them have neglected their dental health for so long that they would require extensive restorative work.

If you can get to assist such a patient by giving them great medical care such that they are going to forget all the reasons they have to avoid a dentist. If you properly utilize such a chance, you will forever turn the patient’s perception about dentistry and in turn get a loyal patient forever. In addition, the patient is going to be making production for you from the start. It is important that you provide great dental care to your emergency patients so that they realize that dentistry has a value in their life.

In an emergency case like the one above, inform the patient that you will not prescribe any painkillers until you’ve seen them, and would preferably want to see them that night. By doing this, you will get a chance to explain to them more about dentistry hence creating a loyal client.

The truth is always that emergency patients are a crucial part of the business and you don’t want to miss them out. Forward all emergency calls to a cellphone each weekend and nights and rotate the phone among your staff members. Have a plan on how emergency calls will be handled. Never close your doors to any emergency patient.

The Process of Root Canal Therapy

Basic dental hygiene is not difficult and can prevent all manner of difficult health problems from beginning if performed with daily regularity. When proper dental hygiene goes neglected for too long or old age or injury to mouth intervenes, however, more serious dental work becomes necessary. This severe dental work has become a cultural short hand for describing high amounts of pain in American comedy, and not without due cause. One of the quintessential expressions of pain in American wit is comparing a painful experience to a root canal.

A root canal becomes necessary when a tooth is considered so cracked or infected that a simple sealing or disinfecting will not prevent the tooth from becoming infected again. In this case, the process of endontic therapy, or a root canal, becomes necessary.

The process is essentially removing the pulp of the tooth, usually along with some measure of already existing inflammation or infection. To purge the infection and hopefully salvage the tooth, a dentist has to drill into the pulp chamber and remove the infected pulp, followed by the removal of the nerve out of the root canal where it is contained. Once the infected pulp is removed, the dentist then takes needle shaped instruments known as files to widen the root canal, starting out with small files and working their way up to larger files. This removes debris and infected tissue, as well facilitating a great penetration of the chemical irrigating solution.

When the nerve is finally removed from the root canal, the dentist then fills the root canals and pulp chamber with an inert material and seals the opening, normally with gutta-percha (a natural polymer prepared from the percha tree), usually topped by a crown to finish the job.

This process can be very painful to the patient and oftentimes requires an anesthetizing substance to make the process bearable, though when it’s over, the patient usually needs painkillers for some days afterwards.

Solving Dental Problems On The Weekend

As a dentist, I know that a lot of the time people have problems when my offices are not open. There are just too many things that people don’t get taken care of when they should. I also have people contact me on the weekend when they get into accidents. Here are some tips I can give to people so they can avoid or take care or problems.

One thing that I see all the time are people that have accidents where they chip or break a tooth completely. This can be painful because it can harm the nerve and if you’re in a bad accident you can even expose that nerve and it is very hard for people to deal with this kind of pain. I suggest that if this happens to someone, they get to a dental professional right away, even on an emergency basis if they want the tooth to be saved.

I’ve also had to talk with patients and come to the office and call in some prescriptions for infections on the weekend for some people. There are a lot of times when you cannot just let an infection go because if it gets bad and spreads to the blood stream, you could face a very bad situation. I’ve been able to get people through the weekend, but if it’s really bad I will help them to get in to see an emergency specialist so their health is not at risk.

There are so many things that your teeth can have gone wrong with them, or your oral health can have problems in general. I recommend that everyone has a dentist they can turn to in case of emergencies. I don’t like to see anyone in pain, but I do understand that these things cannot be helped at all times.

3 Dental Emergencies That Must Be Treated Immediately

Three Dental Emergencies You Need to Have Treated Immediately

While many uncomfortable dental conditions can wait until your next scheduled appointment, there are some instances where you need to contact our offices immediately. These dental concerns cannot and should not wait. Left untreated for any length of time, these may end up causing greater pain and financial obligations if you wait.

Broken Tooth Emergencies

If you or someone else has broken a tooth, you need to save the tooth and contact us right away. The tooth should not be washed and needs to be kept moist. Attempt to place it back in the area if possible. Otherwise, hold it between your gum and cheek or in a glass of milk until you reach our office.

Swollen Gums and Face

If you suddenly notice swelling of your gums and face, you most likely have an infection. It is important that you get on an antibiotic routine as soon as possible. You absolutely do not want the infection spreading elsewhere, particularly considering the close proximity of the brain to your gums.

Object Stuck in Mouth

If you have a piece of food or another object get wedged between your teeth, you may attempt to gently remove it. However, if it does not respond to normal efforts, do not force the situation. Instead, call our emergency number.

Left for longer periods of time, the foreign object will cause considerable pain and may lead to infection. Our staff will remove it for you and treat the area to ensure it heals properly.

If you experience any of these situations, do not hesitate to give us a call any time of day or night. We will gladly see you and provide the appropriate treatment so you can enjoy better oral health. In many instances, we will set up a follow-up visit to ensure your mouth is healing properly.

A Tooth Extraction: Explaining The Process

As a dentist, there are many reasons my patients come in for tooth extractions. No matter the reason, the process is typically the same for each procedure. Knowing what to expect during the procedure can make my patients feel much more comfortable and make for a smoother experience.

The procedure begins with numbing. Using a local anesthesia, the area around the tooth, bone, and gum tissue will all be treated so they feel the effects of the numbing agent. While the area will be numb, the patient will still be able to feel pressure. Once the area is confirmed to be numb, the actual extraction begins.

The extraction begins by separating the tooth from the ligament that holds it firmly in its socket, a sponge-like and compressible bone. This is done using a special tool called an elevator. The instrument is forced into and is twisted around in the space between the tooth and the bone to expand the socket and begin the process of separating the tooth from the ligament. A gentle rocking motion is used to widen and enlarge the bone tissue. Sometimes, the tooth can be removed using only the elevator. Other times, once the tooth is loosened enough, there are specialized pliers, extraction forceps, that are used to finish extracting the tooth. Using a rocking and twisting action, and firm pressure, the tooth completely releases from the ligament.

Once the tooth is removed, the extraction site will be closed. Any infected tissue will be removed, along with the rounding off of any sharp bone edges. The socket be washed out, too, to remove any tooth fragments or loose bone. Then, gauze will be placed over the site and the patient will bite down.

Completing the procedure, the patient will be evaluated as they exit the chair. It is common to be a bit unsteady. If this happens, it may be necessary to sit for a few more minutes until they are ready to walk. Since only local anesthesia is used, patients are able to drive themselves home.

A Dentist’s View On Dental Emergencies

It’s time I went over what I believe to be the truth about dental emergencies. As a dentist that has been at it for a while, I feel as if I’ve seen it all. Some people think that they have issues that are not bad when they are, and vice-versa.

One thing that happens to people that begins as a small problem and develops into an emergency would be cavities that turn into infections eventually. Some people have told me that they don’t have the ability to afford to get a cavity looked at, and then when it starts to get infected they are in so much pain they end up having to pay someone at the hospital to give them antibiotics and pain medications. This can cost them thousands of dollars when they could have just come into the dental office and had the same problem fixed for a fraction of the price.

You don’t have to lose any teeth if you are careful and work with a dentist on a regular basis. The key is to come in for a cleaning because most emergencies are because of people not taking the time to even do that. I have seen so many people say that they are fine when in fact they are not, only to call me on the weekend or sometime when my office isn’t open because they are having an emergency. This gets to a point where it costs more for you than a cleaning and general overview of your situation would have, and you may even miss out on work if it’s bad enough costing you more money.

The truth about dental emergencies won’t be something that everyone will want to hear. However, if you don’t work on your dental issues when they occur, you’re going to have emergencies happen. Being smart and taking a proactive approach you will not have as many issues in the dental department.

An Overview Of Root Canals

Millions of teeth in the United States are treated and saved each year thanks to endodontic or root canal treatment. The root canal procedure can relieve your tooth pain for good and save your smile. That is why the procedure is so popular in the US. The root canal procedure is helpful in treating the inside of the patient’s tooth. This sort of treatment is mandatory when the pulp of the tooth becomes infected or inflamed. This article provides an overview of the root canal procedure.

The tooth has a hard layer known as dentin inside the enamel. The pulp is located inside this dentin. It is a soft tissue that contains nerves, blood vessels and other connective tissues. It helps grow the root of the tooth during development. If the tooth is fully developed, it can survive without the pulp as the tooth is continued to be nourished by the surrounding tissues. The pulp can become infected or inflamed due to a variety of reasons. Deep decay, faulty crowns, cracks and chips in the tooth, trauma to a tooth, and repeated dental procedures on the tooth are some of the main reasons for pulp infection.

During the root canal procedure, the infected or inflamed pulp is completely removed. The inside of the tooth is carefully disinfected and cleaned. It is then filled and sealed with a material named gutta-percha. This is a rubber-like material. After that, the tooth is restored with a crown for protection. The tooth will continue to function as a normal tooth. The procedure can be completed in one or two sessions to the dentist. You can experience a pain-free and comfortable experience during and after the root canal procedure thanks to the latest technology in the industry.

Go here to learn more about the root canal procedure in Milwaukee.

How Your Weekend Can Get Ruined By A Dental Emergency

A dental emergency can really ruin a weekend. There are a few different ways that this can happen. Most people know that dental emergencies can cause a lot of pain and make it nearly impossible to get through a weekend without some kind of help.

One thing you can expect to make life rough over a weekend is a tooth infection. This is something that can make your mouth swell and can even cause death if the infection spreads in extreme situations. If you are faced with this problem and cannot make it through the weekend, then you should go to the hospital when an emergency dental appointment is out of the question. They can give you antibiotics and pain medication to help you get through until you are able to go and see your dentist in the near future.

Dental problems that can occur include breaking a tooth in an accident. This can be painful if you have it break down to the root. It may also turn into a problem if there is a cavity that makes your tooth rot to the root. You can generally use over the counter remedies to help you get through the weekend. If the pain is extreme and you feel like you need emergency help, you can try contacting your dentist or find an emergency clinic to visit in your area. Keep in mind it costs extra to get emergency help, so if you can wait, that is ideal.

There are a lot of problems that can occur during times when the Milwaukee dental office you go to regularly isn’t open. The weekend is a terrible time to have a problem, but in the event of extreme issues, you can probably find assistance. When you’re in pain you will find yourself trying anything to work with it and get away from it.