Healthy Smiles Premier Dental
AThere are many ways one or more of your teeth could be fractured–not just slightly chipped, but so badly injured that serious repair is needed to keep it from falling apart or even requiring extraction. You could be in a car accident, be hit in the face during sports, turn and bump into a pillar, or just have a hard fall.
Dr. Afshin Doostan is an emergency dental specialist, so if you are bleeding and in pain, immediately call 310-327-8612 to set an appointment for treatment. If you are experiencing pain and swelling, use over-the-counter pain relievers until you can come into the office, holding a cold pack (even frozen vegetables) off and on every 15 minutes for a couple of hours until bleeding and swelling stop. If you need something stronger, ask Dr. Doostan to call in a prescription to a pharmacy. Do not chew on the fractured tooth, just stick with liquids until treatment and further instructions.
Regardless of whether a fractured tooth is an emergency, there are several options for restoring it to health. If the surface enamel has just been cracked, Dr. Doostan may be able to repair it by using filling or bonding material, which will prevent decay from getting into the more vulnerable interior of the tooth. Placing a dental veneer on the front of the tooth may also provide extra protection from further damage and keep your smile as beautiful as it was before the accident.
If the fracture is more extensive, but the interior has not been harmed, he will put a crown or cap encompassing the entire visible top of the tooth, shaded to match the color of the neighboring ones, which will keep it from coming completely apart, allowing the tooth to gradually heal.
In the event the tooth’s root has been damaged, a root canal will have to be performed to clean the area and fill the canals with a neutral material to prevent infection. Despite their undeserved reputation, “root canals” (shorthand for the therapy) are actually painless, thanks to anesthetic options, and can stop the pain caused by nerves that have been harmed.
In some cases, the tooth may have been so injured that extraction will be necessary. This does not actually involve pain, either. You will have a choice of appropriate anesthetics to make the process painless. The replacements, such as a dental implant or a bridge, also do not involve any pain if you follow Dr. Doostan’s directions.
Keep these instructions handy in the event they are needed and if you have a tooth that was injured long ago and never repaired, come in for a full examination to explore your best options.
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