Emergency Care

A tooth that has been knocked out entirely, known as an avulsed tooth, or one that has been partially pushed loose needs attention right away. If the tooth has come out, try to place it back into the socket and hold it in position until you can be seen. When that is not possible, keep the tooth in a small container of milk to protect it. Teeth that are repositioned in the socket by our emergency dentists within the right window of time and stabilized with a splint can sometimes be saved.

Tooth pain that lingers usually points to an infection, often one that has developed inside the tooth itself. In some situations, a filling resolves the problem. Intense sensitivity or a sharp jolt of pain when you bite down, though, can signal an emergency involving the tooth root. Cases like these often call for root canal therapy before the pain can be brought under control.

Significant damage to a tooth following an injury or blow to the mouth should be addressed without delay. Small chips and hairline cracks can typically wait, but a broken or fractured tooth brings more than just severe pain. The damage may extend past the outer surface into the inner structure of the tooth, which is why our emergency dentists at Bayview Dental Associates in Florida should evaluate it promptly. Treatment depends on how large and how deep the break is, and may involve a filling, a dental crown, or root canal therapy. In the most serious cases, an emergency extraction may be necessary.

An abscess can develop at the base of a tooth root when infection sets in, whether from an injury, an untreated cavity, or earlier dental work. Treating it often means performing an emergency root canal to clear the damaged pulp out of the root.

If you have had a tooth extracted recently, this one is worth knowing about. Dry socket develops when the blood clot that forms in the empty socket becomes dislodged, leaving the bone and nerves underneath exposed. The pain can be intense, and prompt treatment is needed to relieve it and guard against infection. Care generally involves cleaning out the socket and packing it with medicated gauze.