Vancouver, WA Dental Emergency Services
If you suffer a dental emergency, quick work is required to manage any injuries or damage successfully. Vancouver Emergency Dentist has a multidisciplinary team of skilled dental specialists who provide expert emergency dental services in Vancouver, WA. We always ensure you are given the most expedient and appropriate care that deals with your problem. Dental emergencies for adults and dental emergencies for children are typically treated the same, though there can be exceptions for baby teeth.
What Is Dental Trauma?
A dental emergency, which can also be referred to as dental trauma, is an injury to your teeth which may include damaged, dislodged, or lost teeth, root fractures, and physical injury to other parts of your mouth and jaw. This may include lacerations to the soft tissues of your mouth, such as the gums or lips, as well as damage to the jaw, such as a fracture.
How Is Dental Trauma Treated?
There are many different forms of treatment for dental trauma because there are so many different ways you can be injured. If you are bleeding, we will first stop the flow of blood and determine if you need stitches. For a damaged tooth, we may need to place a crown or use other methods of repairing it. Root canals are often the treatment of choice for deep fractures. In some cases, we may even need to turn to tooth removal services at our Vancouver, WA dental clinic. It all depends on the type of trauma and how severe it is.
Depending on the extent of the trauma, management of your injuries may require the expertise of several different specialists, including oral surgeons, endodontists, and periodontists, in addition to our emergency dental services in Vancouver, WA.
Depending on the extent of the trauma, management of your injuries may require the expertise of several different specialists, including oral surgeons, endodontists, and periodontists, in addition to our emergency dental services in Vancouver, WA.
What Are The Treatments For A Dental Emergency?
Our emergency dental services in Vancouver, WA vary and are based on each patient's individual needs and the extent of damage. Some of the situations requiring immediate intervention from a dentist include:
A Knocked Out Tooth
Time is of the essence if your tooth has been knocked out. A knocked-out tooth can cause pain and expose you to various infections. It is crucial to pick the tooth up by the crown (the part you see in your mouth) rather than the root. If it is dirty, lick it clean and place it gently back in its socket. Do not clean with water, as you do not want to accidentally rinse off the ligaments that may still be attached to the tooth. Use a piece of tissue or other absorbent material to place over it and bite down gently to keep the tooth in place.
If you cannot place it back in its socket, keep the tooth root moist by holding it in your mouth, or placing it in milk, not water. Placing the tooth in water can actually cause the root to swell, and potentially make the tooth harder, or maybe even, impossible, to save.
You will need to see a dentist immediately if you are to have a chance of saving the tooth, and with luck, we will be able to stabilize the tooth with a splint so that within a few weeks the tooth ligament will reattach to your jawbone. You may require further emergency dental services at our Vancouver, WA dental office after that, such as a root canal.
If you cannot place it back in its socket, keep the tooth root moist by holding it in your mouth, or placing it in milk, not water. Placing the tooth in water can actually cause the root to swell, and potentially make the tooth harder, or maybe even, impossible, to save.
You will need to see a dentist immediately if you are to have a chance of saving the tooth, and with luck, we will be able to stabilize the tooth with a splint so that within a few weeks the tooth ligament will reattach to your jawbone. You may require further emergency dental services at our Vancouver, WA dental office after that, such as a root canal.
Damaged Tooth
A tooth that has sustained damage including chips or fractures may only require a filling or crown. If the pointed surfaces on the back teeth (the cusps) are damaged or the soft pulp in the center of the tooth is exposed you may require something a little more extensive, such as a root canal.
Broken Teeth
Crowns may be used to repair damaged teeth or to add strength to teeth after root canal treatment. However, root canal treatment is likely to be carried out as a routine appointment after the initial emergency treatment at our clinic in Vancouver, WA to address tooth pain and damage.
Fillings
Inlays and onlays or fillings may be used to treat chipped or fractured teeth. Fillings can be carried out immediately, but inlays and onlays are custom made and a routine appointment will be made for you to start this treatment.
Soft Tissue Injuries and Fractured Jaw
The expertise of an oral surgeon may be required to suture any lacerations to the soft tissues of the mouth. In the case of a fractured jaw, depending on the severity, we may need to stabilize the jaw with wires and metal braces. Depending on the damage incurred, you may require that your jaw is wired shut for a period of at least six weeks to allow it to heal and preserve your bite.
How Do You Get Dental Trauma?
Dental injuries can be caused by several different sources, including injuries to your enamel, teeth being knocked loose, and damage to the surrounding bone around the face. Some ways to get dental trauma include getting hit in the face or mouth by a hard object, tripping and hitting your mouth, or having a tooth become loose after an impact.
This can typically happen during sports if you do not wear a mouthguard. Getting hit in the face with a ball or chipping your tooth during a fall or collision with a teammate can be a traumatic injury that could require emergency dental services from our team in Vancouver, WA. Depending on how you received the injury and how severe the damage is, you might have it treated differently.
No matter how you receive your trauma, you need to see one of our dentists right away in Vancouver, WA for the tooth pain, as you may have to get the tooth examined. Our team will both take a look at the tooth that was hurt and the other teeth that might have been damaged by the impact.
This can typically happen during sports if you do not wear a mouthguard. Getting hit in the face with a ball or chipping your tooth during a fall or collision with a teammate can be a traumatic injury that could require emergency dental services from our team in Vancouver, WA. Depending on how you received the injury and how severe the damage is, you might have it treated differently.
No matter how you receive your trauma, you need to see one of our dentists right away in Vancouver, WA for the tooth pain, as you may have to get the tooth examined. Our team will both take a look at the tooth that was hurt and the other teeth that might have been damaged by the impact.
Contact Us For Your Dental Emergencies
We offer tremendous flexibility when dealing with dental injuries, and our skills and the use of the latest technologies can relieve your pain and help you recover from your injuries quickly and with the best outcome. If you or your child has suffered a dental emergency, get in touch with us for emergency dental services in the Vancouver, WA area as soon as you can. Obtain an emergency consultation from a professional so that we can assess your situation. Call us at 360-828-7997 for further assistance.