When a Situation Calls for an Emergency Dental Surgery

Types of Dental Damage

When a dental emergency occurs, a general dentist may not have the expertise and technology to repair the damage. In these cases, emergency surgery from an endodontic specialist will be the best choice. A few types of damage that teeth can sustain:

• Chipped teeth
• Infected teeth
• Cracked teeth

With each one, there are specific steps one can take until receiving professional treatment. If you act quickly enough, then there is a better chance of restoring the tooth instead of having to remove it and use an artificial replacement. Fortunately, an emergency endodontist can help.

Chipped teeth

There are a large variety of ways in which an individual can chip a tooth. All it takes is biting on something too hard or knocking the tooth against an object during a sport. In some cases, the chipped tooth may not need much more treatment than simply bonding the tooth. However, if the chip causes immense pain, then it may actually be a crack or broken tooth. Another reason that it is crucial to seek professional treatment from an emergency endodontist is that the chip in the tooth can become worse over time and damage the enamel.

Cracked tooth

A crack is more serious and dangerous than a simple chip in the tooth. While a crack may not even be noticeable or cause much pain immediately, it will get worse the longer it remains untreated. It can be increasingly difficult to avoid feeling pain as the crack gets worse. In many cases, the crack will spread down the rest of the tooth and eventually damage the pulp inside the tooth. Eventually, the tooth will begin to hurt even when it is not in use. If the crack reaches below the tooth itself and into the root, it may no longer be treatable and will require an endodontist to remove the tooth completely.

Infected tooth

While dentists can treat minor infections with a deep cleaning, major infections will require a specialist. In the case of an infected root, a professional endodontist can provide the root canal necessary to treat the patient. In many cases, the pain will become sudden and unbearable when the infection spreads and reaches advanced stages. Due to this, it is crucial for an emergency endodontist to remove the infected portion as soon as possible. With professional and prompt treatment, there is a much higher chance of saving the natural tooth instead of needing to extract the entire tooth from the mouth.