Seeing our emergency dentist; what does this involve?

If you wake up at 4 am with a throbbing discomfort under one of your teeth, this is not likely to be postponed until your next dental checkup. It is an emergency that requires urgent treatment, so you will need to attend a 24-hour or emergency dental clinic.

But this can be an intimidating prospect, especially if you have an aversion to dental teams. Many patients who need to attend an emergency appointment have concerns about what this will entail, but don’t worry! The appointment itself is relatively straightforward but has a slightly different basis to regular dental appointments revolving around assessment and treatment.

At Walkerston Dental, we are very proud to offer an emergency dentist Walkerston and are always happy to offer our patients a same-day appointment. Via triage, if it is evident that you are suffering from a dental emergency, an emergency dental appointment will aim to resolve any discomfort that you are in and get you back on track as soon as possible. So they are well worth attending if you need to.

But what exactly is involved in an emergency trip to see our dentist Walkerston? Read on to find out!

Assessment and diagnosis

The first step is assessment and diagnosis.

In the majority of cases that require a same-day appointment to see our dentist Walkerston, the underlying issue is an oral abscess; these are fairly straightforward to assess and diagnose, but this stage is important as the treatment depends on an accurate assessment.

Treatment

Following the example of a dental abscess, the treatment is usually based around controlling the discomfort and reducing the swelling. In an emergency setting, this can be done by lancing if the abscess is particularly large or aggressive or by prescribing medications. In very rare instances, an oral abscess may require an emergency extraction, but this all depends on the condition of the tooth that the abscess is under. For almost all abscesses, our team will aim to save the tooth using a root canal.

Antibiotics

It is usually not the case that an oral abscess that occurs in an emergency setting can be treated straight away. So our team can prescribe antibiotics to our patients to get the infection under control between the emergency appointment and the follow-up. You must take the full course of antibiotics as dental infections are notoriously hard to treat and can be persistent if they are not dealt with correctly. And nobody wants that kind of experience twice in their life!

Follow-up

A root canal to treat an oral infection will likely occur during a follow-up appointment once the infection is controlled. This will usually happen within a week of your emergency appointment, and you need to attend it, even if you are no longer in discomfort as this will prevent the infection from recurring and restore the tooth.

Prevention

Preventing emergency oral issues is tricky. Some instances, such as when there has been damage to the enamel or loose restoratives, cannot be prevented. But for the majority of patients, they can be minimised by attending biannual check-ups and maintaining good oral health at home.

DISCLAIMER

All treatment carries risks. Individual consultation is required with one of our practitioners to ensure that the treatment is right for you.