Ahwatukee Emergency Dentist Archives

Can an Adult Tooth be Saved?

Posted on April 13, 2019 by writeradmin.

I have a tooth which was hit with a baseball. It’s feeling loose now. Can this be saved?

Ben

Dear Ben,

man holding jaw in need of an emergency dentist

Often a loose adult tooth can be saved. You’ll need to get to a dentist quickly. If you don’t have a regular dentist, do an internet search for “an emergency dentist“. These are general dentists who are willing to see non-established patients quickly in situations such as yours.

The dentist will do x-rays to see if there is internal damage. If there is they’ll do a root canal treatment and dental crown. If there’s not, they will likely just splint the tooth until th ligaments are healed and the tooth is safe on its own again.

If a Tooth is Knocked Out

It likely doesn’t feel like it right now, but you are lucky the tooth wasn’t knocked out. When that happens, the chances of saving the tooth go down significantly.

You’d have to get to the dentist within 30 minutes to have the best chance to save the tooth. You’ll want to hold it by the crown not the root. It’s also imperative to keep it moist while traveling to the dentist. Put it between your cheek and gums or gently place it in a cup of milk.

If a Tooth Can’t be Saved

Sometimes a tooth can’t be saved. When that happens it is time to look at tooth replacements. Fortunately, there are great tooth replacements these days. Getting a dental implant is like having a healthy natural tooth again. It’s permanent. You can eat and drink, brush and floss normally.

I don’t think you’ll have to worry about this as long as you get to the dentist.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.

Young Children and Dental Emergencies

Posted on December 4, 2018 by writeradmin.

I keep reading these stories about children needing emergency dental care because of infections. Is this normal? I’m about to have my first baby and I’m worried I won’t recognize the problem. These are kids with significant decay and the parents seemed to be clueless. I don’t want that to happen to me. What are the signs?

Lindsey

Dear Lindsey,

There are two types of dental emergencies with children. The first is unpredictable and rarely anyone’s fault. It’s when a child suffers tooth trauma. That can happen when they get hit with a ball or something hard while playing. It can happen when they fall. Honestly, there is any number of reasons it can happen.

If that happens, believe me, you’ll know. The thing to do in a case like that is to remain calm. If there’s bleeding remember the mouth bleeds often look much worse than they really are. Stop the bleeding, then call his or her dentist. They’ll do x-rays to make sure there isn’t any significant damage to the roots of the teeth and take action from there.

The second type of pediatric emergencies is completely preventable. This is the tragic part of the whole thing. These are when parents wait too long to take them to see a dentist. Decay develops. At first, it’s not noticeable or painful. But, these things can blow up quickly. Now your child is crying and in pain and needs a painful emergency dental appointment.

Preventable Dental Emergencies

The easiest way to prevent these is to make sure you take them to the pediatric dentist early. This way the dentist can keep a keen eye on your child’s tooth health and development. This has many other benefits.

First, it gives your child a positive experience at the dentist, instead of a negative one. It also will help prevent bacteria from getting to settle on the teeth and lead to decay. Finally, it also helps the dentist catch any abnormalities quickly which enables them to find solutions that may be less invasive.

I hope this helps put your mind at ease.

This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.

Emergency Dentist Won’t Fix My Crown

Posted on June 30, 2018 by writeradmin.

I’m so fed up with my dentist. I needed a dental crown. He did it. Two days later it fell off. He said that’s because it was the temporary crown and they’re meant to be easy to get off. Then, he put on my permanent crown. It fell off. He bonded it back on for free, but it fell off a week later. He bonded it on again and it fell off. By then I was fed up and left it off, but when my husband realized what was happening he said that was a bad idea. So, I wised up and went to an emergency dentist. But, they refused to bond it back on saying they’d need to make me a new one because mine doesn’t fit. Can that be right or is he taking me for a ride?

Lisa

Dear Lisa,

A dental crown being placed onto a prepared tooth.

When a crown is bonded correctly, it stays put.

Your dentist is incompetent. Not the emergency dentist; your regular dentist. He doesn’t understand how bonding is properly done. Most dentists go their entire career without a crown falling off once. As many times as yours has fallen off is absolutely ridiculous.

Your husband was wise to send you to get it bonded and you were wise to go to a different dentist. I don’t think the emergency dentist is trying to cheat you. It’s very possible in the time you left the crown off that your other teeth shifted a bit into the empty space. That would cause your crown not to fit.

You have a couple of options here. The first thing you need to do is get a refund from your original dentist. He shouldn’t have a problem with that. He hasn’t been able to give you a functional dental crown. Then you can let your emergency dentist make you a new one. One that will stay in place.

If you’re not sure about the integrity of the emergency dentist, then I suggest you go to a totally different dentist and get a second opinion. If the emergency dentist lied, he or she can bond it on. If the emergency dentist was right, you can have the new dentist remake your crown.

Best of luck. This blog is brought to you by Ahwatukee Dentist Dr. Harveer Kaur.