Tag Archives: emergency dentistry

Emergency Dentist

Should my husband have received a root canal at emergency dentist?

My husband had a tooth that was causing him a great deal of pain for over a year. Throughout that time, I would periodically remind him that it was likely going to result in a root canal if he did not have it checked out. As I had warned him, he ended up dealing with a terrible toothache and had to make a trip to an emergency dentist. However, the emergency dentist only treated him with a crown. Should he have had a root canal?

Thank you,

Karen

Dear Karen,

There are many causes of tooth pain. A cavity, cracked tooth, infection, and numerous other problems can cause pain. Typically, when the decay reaches the center of a tooth, or is near a nerve, it causes the nerve to send signals of distress in the form on pain or discomfort. They can also be necessary if a tooth becomes infected or dead. Needless to say, tooth pain doesn’t always equal a root canal, as different causes of pain need to be treated in different ways.

The emergency dentist should have explained the diagnosis to you, so you knew what was occurring and why. If he failed to do so, you could call the office and find out exactly what was wrong with the tooth.

Something else to learn from this experience is that you can’t waste any time when it comes to tooth problems. The quicker a problem is addressed, the less treatment is typically needed.

This post was brought to you by Gilbert emergency dentist, Dr. Matt Roper.

Sedation Dentistry

The BEST way to go to the dentist

Here is a letter a colleague of mine received. I can’t think of a better endorsement for sedation dentistry anywhere.

For years I have avoided the dentist (sorry about that), but not anymore. I have found the best way to go to the dentist. If you have any other chicken patients maybe you can tell them my story and they will find the help I did.

Dear Fellow Dental Chicken,

I understand how you feel. Whenever I thought about going to the dentist my whole body would tense up.  Who wants to pay for that kind of pain? The problem was I was starting to be in pain all the time.  I was getting cavities. Those cavities turned into tooth infections.

Even with the infection, I was still finding excuses to avoid the dentist. One evening, when I was in an abundance of pain, my friend Terri told me that if I didn’t take care of my tooth infection that it could spread. In a worst case scenario, it can even spread to my brain!

I don’t have to tell you that she put me in a little bit of a panic.  She told me about sedation dentistry and my life hasn’t been the same since.  I took a pill before my appointment. It relaxed me completely. To be honest, it relaxed me so much I don’t remember a whole lot about the dental appointment.  What I do know is that my infection is gone and I felt NO pain during my appointment.  Since then, I’ve been back twice to take care of all that dental work I have neglected over these years.

I hope this helps.

This blog has been brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.