Tag Archives: pimple on gums

Sedation Dentistry

How Much Dental Work Can be Done at Once?

I will be honest and admit that I have neglected going to the dentist for many years now. However, it has gotten to the point that I need to do something. I can see decay and a couple of broken teeth. I’m sure I need even more work than I think I do. In order to get this over with fairly quickly (you can probably tell dentists aren’t my favorite thing), how much work can be done in one sitting, so I can minimize the appointments?

Kirk

Dear Kirk,

Someone asleep from dental sedation

While each dentist varies from office to office in how much they’ll do at each appointment, you will find the dentists who are willing to do the most in one sitting are sedation dentists. There is a procedure, oral conscious sedation (OCS), that enables both the patient and the dentist to get through more work at a time. Some people have dubbed it sleep dentistry because they are so relaxed they end up sleeping through the entire procedure.

There are many reasons patients avoid the dentist. One of the leading causes is dental anxiety, which can usually be traced back to a traumatic dental appointment. Having a means to experience stress-free and pain-free appointments with OCS has changed many lives.

Avoiding a Dental Emergency

Hopefully, you’ll find a sedation dentist fairly soon. I am especially concerned about the broken and decayed teeth. These can quickly turn into a dental emergency if the pulp of the tooth becomes infected. When you think about how close your jaw is to your heart, lungs, and brain, you can see how a simple tooth infection can turn life-threatening.

People tend to underestimate the seriousness of toothaches, which is why even in the twenty-first century we still have people who die from a tooth infection.

I’m not saying this to frighten you. I just want you to recognize, if the tooth starts to feel pain or if a pimple develops on your gums, both are signs of an infected tooth and you will need to be seen as soon as possible.

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

Dental Emergency

Is a gum pimple a problem?

`My husband was messing with his mouth, saying it hurts. I looked at it and he has a pimple on his gums.  We popped it and got out all the goop, but it keeps coming back.  Is this something dental?

Helen M. – Washington

Helen,

Yes, this is something dental.  It sounds to me like he has a dental abscess. This can get serious and your husband needs to see an emergency dentist or get an emergency appointment with his existing detnist if he has one.

An abscess means his tooth is infected. That infection will spread.  It can become a serious issue quickly.  Your mouth is close to your brain and that is one of the LAST places you’d want an infection to spread to.

This isn’t something that can be fixed with just antibiotics.  The dentist will have to get in there and physically remove the infected tissue.

Don’t let him put off being seen.

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

Dental Emergency

Gum bump with puss

Below my gum there is a pimple kind of bump with puss in it. What should I do?

Kevin J. from Philadelphia

Kevin,

It sounds like you have a fistula. You may have an abscessed tooth. It is common for people to have a tooth infection without realizing it because the infection is draining in the mouth and there is little or no pain coming from the tooth. Sometimes you’ll have pain upon chewing, a mild ache, or sensitivity to hot/cold temperatures, but not always. I advise you go see your dentist. He can evaluate whether your tooth is infected. If it is, you’ll need antibiotics, a root canal, and a dental crown. At our office we can do one appointment CEREC crowns.

Sometimes you can have an infected tooth that causes a lot of pain. If that happens to you, it is perfectly acceptable to get a same day appointment with an emergency dentist. They’ll be able to get you out of pain right then, but may need to schedule the permanent fix for a later date.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert dentist Dr. Matt Roper.