Tag Archives: emergency dentist

Emergency Dentist

Was I misdiagnosed by an emergency dentist?

I saw an emergency dentist a couple of days ago and am very upset. A little over a year, it was suggested I get a filling, and I have been putting it off. I mentioned this to the emergency dentist but added that the tooth next to that tooth was the one giving me the trouble at the time of my emergency visit. I indicated the issues I’d been having on the phone, therefore assumed they were going to do the fillings during my visit.

During my visit, he ran a few tests. In other words, he hit my teeth with his mirror a few times. Since my teeth were hurting when I went in, this caused me even more pain. He then proceeded to tell me that I needed a filling, but not on the tooth in question. I then asked about the tooth with the pre-existing cavity, to which he answered also needed a filling. He then told me I would need to come back. I’m still in pain. The visit to the emergency dentist did nothing! Do you think it’s possible that I could have an infection, or something else serious? I don’t want the issue to go unnoticed just because that dentist was in a rush to get through the appointment.

Thanks,
Doug


Dear Doug,

Typically, most infections are obvious. If the dentist performed an x-ray and exam, the infection would have been hard to miss. Cavities are capable of causing tooth pain, especially if they are deeply rooted. Not always are they indicators of infection or a need for a root canal. Regarding the tests, the dentist was likely trying to determine which teeth were causing you trouble, in order to recommend the best treatment route. It’s possible that your tooth could have passed its pain onto its neighboring tooth, or it could be cracked and be causing the pain, which is not always obvious, even with an exam or x-ray. However, the tests are a critical part of a thorough exam. That all being said, it’s alarming that your second cavity was not mentioned until you brought it up. This does indicate that your dentist was rushing through his work, making it understandable to question his assessment.

Moving forward, it would be wise for you to have those fillings done as soon as you can, and consider using a different dentist. It’s important to keep in mind that not all dentists allow time for the work when they haven’t completed an exam. This is because they don’t the amount of time that will be needed, or whether or not the patient will go through with the procedure due to the costs. If you do schedule your fillings with another provider, consider an early appointment, and be sure to pass on that your teeth have recently been diagnosed and the recommended treatment. Finally, ask if they could set aside time for the repairs during this appointment.

This post was written by the office of Gilbert emergency dentist, Dr. Matt Roper.

 

Dental Emergency

Why is my tooth turning gray after I went to an emergency dentist?

Several weeks ago, I visited an emergency dentist because of an intense toothache. After his assessment, he concluded my tooth was fine, but it did have a small crack in it. He later placed a new crown, and, although the pain was better, it was not gone. The dentist suggested that I would need a root canal if the pain did not go away. While it is better, it has not gone away. However, I would prefer to not have a root canal, so I’ve been trying to remedy the pain with Ibuprofen, but there really hasn’t been any change, and today, I noticed the tooth next to it changing to an almost gray color. Is it possible that the crown is whiter than my other tooth? Or, is it possible that the work of the emergency dentist I saw could have done something to the other tooth?

Thank you,
Vicki

Dear Vicki,

Teeth turn gray when they are dead or injured, similar to our skin bruising after trauma, but our teeth are behind an enamel surface. The treatment for this is a root canal because the tooth needs cleaned out and filled from the inside, to prevent the build-up of bacteria, which will, in turn, cause infection. The sooner this issue can be addressed, the better.

It is unlikely that the emergency dentist caused this. It could be that your tooth was hurt or damaged all along. Teeth often cause the teeth around them to be in pain. If this is the case, the original diagnosis may be incorrect. Another possibility is that both of your teeth could have been injured at the same time. This would be true, for example, if you bit down on something hard, causing trauma to the graying tooth, and causing its neighbor tooth to crack. While the tooth may not have died right away, it could be slowing fading with time. Finally, it is possible that the two teeth have issues which are completely unrelated. Lastly, you could be looking at two totally unrelated incidents, which happen to be affecting two neighbor teeth. You will likely never know if the original diagnosis was incorrect. However, if you believe this is the case, ask the original dentist for a copy of the x-ray and seek another option from a different dentist, and also have the gray tooth assessed. If something was missed on the original x-ray, you should receive a refund for what you paid to have the crown done. However, if nothing was missed, the dentist’s actions were based on your original symptoms, and the diagnosis may or may not have been correct.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert emergency dentist, Dr. Matthew Roper.

Sedation Dentistry

Why Can’t My Dentist Get Me Numb?

I need serious help. At this moment, I’m living off of extremely strong painkillers. My dentist had to send me home with them because he doesn’t know what to do. He tried on five different appointments to get me numb. But, after at least seven shots and some kind of paste on my gums he still couldn’t get me numb enough to do my root canal. What gives? I’m miserable and my dentist feels horrible. He’s even refunded my money.

Scott T.

Dear Scott,

Gilbert Sedation Dentist

What a difficult experience. I’m sure you’re in tons of pain, so I will make this quick. I know exactly what is going on here, because a colleague of mine (and a dentist himself) had the same problem whenever he went in for treatment.

Believe it or not, this dentist suffered from dental anxiety. Between you and me, I think it was frightening for him not to be in charge of the procedure.

What many dentists don’t realize is that dental anxiety and Novocain (along with other numbing medications) are not a good mix. The anxiety ups your metabolism which in turn burns off the numbing agent. The higher the anxiety, the faster it burns it out.

There’s a simple solution. You need dental sedation. You’ll simply take a pill before your appointment which will completely relax you. Be aware that it relaxes you so much, you’ll need someone to drive you to and from your appointment along with someone to stay with you until you’re steady on your feet again.

Whenever a patient with dental fear uses sedation, it enables the numbing medication to do its job. You’ll experience a stress-free, pain-free root canal treatment.

Best of luck to you. Dental emergencies are the worst.
This blog is brought to you by Dr. Matt Roper.

Dental Emergency

Can’t drink hot chocolate-my tooth hurts

We’ve finally gotten to the cold weather and my tooth hurts like crazy. I can’t even drink my coveted hot chocolate. Is there anything I can do to get rid of this pain?

Sara G. – Utah

Sara,

When your tooth is sensitive to heat, it means the pulp inside your tooth is so inflamed that it is about to die.  This is something that needs treatment fairly quickly.  You’ll need a root canal treatment and a dental crown.

You’ll want to get seen before any infection spreads elsewhere in your body.  Explain to your dentist what is happening. If you’re still haveing trouble getting in quickly, there are dentists that will see you the same day in those situations. Just tell them what is going on and they will fit you in.

Don’t put this off. I want to reiterate that it is important to deal with this before things get worse.

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

Dental Emergency

Emergency Preparation: A knocked out tooth

I’ve been making out a list of emergency prepardness sheets for a workshop I’ve been invited to speak. I thought it would be useful to list one of my sheets.

Dealing With A Knocked Out Tooth

1. Get to the dentist as quickly as possible. It is ideal to get there within the first 30 minutes. If you cannot reach your dentist do a quick Google search for an emergency dentist. However, seeing as we’re making a preparedness chart, it wouldn’t hurt to do a search for emergency dentists ahead of time so you have a list ready.

2. Call the dentist ahead of time so they can be prepared for you when you get there.

3. Carefully remove any dirt from your tooth by holding it by the crown (the top visible part of your tooth) and gently rinse it with water. DO NOT  scrub the tooth. DO NOT  hold the tooth by the root part.

4. Keep the tooth moist. You can do this by holding it between your cheek and gum, or by placing it in a cup of milk.

Now you know what to do with a knocked out tooth.

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.

Pediatric Dentistry

Should my son get his teeth extracted?

My son is almost two years old and has suffered trauma to his front teeth. They are discolored now and I think it is due to the trauma that occurred. His four teeth in front are a green color and I think the enamel is wearing down. I have tried a multivitamin for him on a daily basis but I don’t think that is doing anything to help. Do you think he will need to have these teeth extracted?

– Laura in Iowa

Laura,

It is difficult to make a recommendation without knowing exactly what caused your son’s trauma to his front teeth.

That said, the discoloration is likely due to bacteria. Sometimes kids can get stains on their teeth and their bodies become accustomed to the various bacteria. It would be good to take your child to a pediatric dentist to have his teeth cleaned. This may help with the green color you are referring to.

It was a good idea to give your child a multivitamin, although since the teeth have already erupted in the mouth it won’t have any positive effect.

What happens when you have trauma to the teeth is that the nerve endings can become severed. If this is the case, then you may need to have the teeth extracted. Although, I would not have them removed unless it is absolutely necessary. Since your son is so young, they are helpful for speech development.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Other links you may be interested in: emergency dentist, affordable dentistry

Cosmetic Dentistry, Dental Bonding, Snap-On Smile

Will Snap-On Smile work for my son?

Hello,

My son is eight years old and he has chipped his tooth pretty badly. It’s almost broken in half. The dentist filled it, but it broke within a week. It doesn’t seem to hurt him since the roots are unharmed. We’ve been told that he isn’t old enough to have his tooth capped. Will the Snap-On Smile work for him?

– Maya from Indiana

Maya,
Snap-On Smile works well to temporarily give the appearance of a straight, white smile. In the particular case of your son, I’m not sure this is the way to go.

If his tooth is broken, then placing this Snap-On Smile appliance over his tooth is doing nothing to address the real problem. Direct dental bonding with porcelain or composite materials can fix this problem for your son. And it needs to be done correctly so that it does not interfere with his biting or chewing. Although, you will need to seek the talents of a true cosmetic dentist. Not just any family dentist will be able to do this kind of work well.

There are some other issues to choosing Snap-On Smile for your son. Not only will it feel bulky, a boy his age may lose it. Also, he has a combination of permanent and baby teeth. This means that fitting the appliance correctly will be difficult since his bite is changing so rapidly. The appliance itself may also get in the way of new teeth that are erupting.

The reason the repair you mentioned failed is likely due to the fact that it got in the way of his bite. When he is a bit older, he will have all his permanent teeth and this will be less of an issue. It is difficult to make anymore recommendations without actually seeing this particular case. Therefore, I highly recommend consulting with an expert cosmetic dentist to present your options to you.

The tooth will look and function normally if it is done correctly.

Best of luck to you.

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Related link: emergency dentist

Dental Bonding, Pediatric Dentistry

My child’s broken tooth

I feel so bad for my nine year old daughter. Yesterday, she fell down and broke one of her front teeth. Also, I just noticed a horizontal crack in another one. When I took her to the dentist, they didn’t seem concerned. Basically I was told that he doesn’t have the availability right now to take care of it. He said it should be fine for three months and needs that time to desensitize. Have you heard of this waiting period? I really want her to have it fixed as soon as possible.

Thanks for your time.

– Kendra from Arizona

Kendra,

If it is your desire to have this taken care of immediately, there is really no reason to wait. It would be ideal if you still have the broken piece of the tooth. If you find a cosmetic dentist that has an artistic eye, the tooth will actually be able to be reattached.

Please do your homework though and don’t go to just any dentist. Make sure the dentist is passionate about cosmetic dentistry and has undergone the additional training beyond dental school. From what you have described, the location of your daughter’s tooth is quite prominent and it will be important the the dentist is experienced.

Dental bonding will work to restore the look of the tooth if you don’t have the piece that has come off. As time goes by and your daughter gets older, the pulp in the tooth will be smaller. At that time, a single crown may be more appropriate based on damage that has been done.

Best of luck!

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Related links: emergency dentist, pediatric dentist

Dental Emergency

How dangerous is an infected tooth?

So here’s the deal… I think I have a broken molar. It’s way in the back right next to the spot where my wisdom tooth used to be. I have very painful sensations in my cheek and jaw and up into my sinuses. Now the pain has radiated to my head, ear, and even into my neck. The best way to describe it is that the pain starts in my ear and moves all the way around into my neck.

Do you think this is a dental emergency? I don’t have dental insurance and don’t have the money for a tooth extraction? It may not be the tooth at all and maybe is more related to my sinuses. Can you tell me if I’m in any danger or give me an idea of what is going on?

– Cindy in Georgia

Cindy,

What you have described sounds very dangerous. It sounds like you have a tooth infection from the broken tooth. And now it is spreading which will continue if you don’t get it taken care of as soon as possible.

You may check with a local hospital or dental agency to see if they will help you out. Many areas will treat residents that need serious procedures done. Keep calling around and if you can’t find someone to help, just go to the emergency room. They will be able to help you temporarily.

Antibiotics is important to treat the infection. But most importantly you need to have the tooth taken out or repaired so the you don’t build up resistance to the antibiotic. If you only take the antibiotic and don’t take care of the tooth, you risk a more serious problem than you already have. The reason for this is that the medication will not get inside the infected tooth. What needs to be done is a tooth extraction or root canal treatment.

Act soon before it gets worse!

This post is sponsored by Gilbert dentist Vista Dorada Dental.

Related Links: Dental bonding; Sedation dentist