Not every cracked tooth or bleeding gum is a dental emergency. They might seem worrying or even scary at the moment (and you should always have these issues examined by our professional experts), but they can often wait a few days or even weeks for treatment without any problems. In some cases, like with gingivitis and early tooth decay, these issues can solve themselves with great brushing and flossing habits. However, you shouldn’t wait to contact our team immediately when a dental emergency appears. Leaving urgent problems too long will only lead to further issues. What might have once needed a simple dental filling may instead need a dental crown or even tooth extraction. Please visit our dental office at the first signs of a dental emergency such as a toothache that lasts more than a day, a permanent tooth becomes loose, a knocked-out tooth, a tooth abscess or white pimple on the gums, a painful fractured or broken tooth, a chipped tooth with sharp edges, excessive bleeding, or jaw pain or swelling.
While urgent dental problems can be painful to deal with, treating them doesn’t have to be. A great dentist takes their patient’s comfort in mind and aims to make their experience in the dental chair the best it can be, even on short notice. Before your procedure, your dentist will apply a local anesthetic called lidocaine to the troubled area of your mouth. Typically, they will use a topical anesthetic before injecting the local anesthetic, which makes every part of the process more comfortable. The anesthetic will block the nerves in that part of your mouth, so it will be entirely numb throughout your procedure. However, if you’re particularly anxious about your emergency appointment, we also offer dental sedation options like nitrous oxide. Also known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide helps calm the mind as well as the body, so you only feel happy and relaxed during your visit. Plus, since the gas is breathed in, it will wear off shortly after the breathing apparatus is removed without any lingering after-effects.