Emergency Dentistry Santa Maria, CA
Dental emergencies can happen to anyone and at any time. Going through an emergency can be a scary experience no matter your age, so you need a Santa Maria emergency dentist you can count on. The team at Santa Barbara Family Dentistry is here to serve all your dental needs – including dental emergencies. We’re equipped to care for nearly any type of dental emergency, and we make dental emergency appointments a priority.
What Constitutes a Dental
Emergency in Santa Maria?
When people think of an emergency, they tend to think of someone in excruciating pain or experiencing a life and death situation.
But dental emergencies are a bit different.
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Dental emergencies may or may not be painful but still need to be addressed as quickly as possible. This is because unaddressed dental conditions can progress, cause more damage, and even lead to tooth loss.
Therefore, if you experience any of the following symptoms or circumstances, please call your Santa Maria emergency dentist immediately.
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Broken Tooth
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Pus
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Loose Teeth
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Toothache
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Knocked-Out Tooth
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Excessive Bleeding
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Lost Crown or Filling
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Item Stuck Between Teeth
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Gum Inflammation
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Bumps on Your Gums
How Can a Santa Maria Emergency Dentist Help Me?
There are several services your dentist can provide to care for a dental emergency. The most important course of action is to get you in for an evaluation. When we get a proper diagnosis, we can treat your emergency in one or more of the following ways.
Knocked Out Tooth
If you or your child experiences facial trauma that knocks out a tooth, do your best to find the tooth. Rinse it with warm water. Don’t scrub it or put any kind of soap or disinfectant on it. If it’s clean and you can place it back into the socket, go ahead and do so. If not, put the tooth in a cup of milk and bring it to your dentist appointment.
Emergency dentistry depends on many factors in this situation. When a tooth is knocked out, the supporting tissues are damaged. The nerves, blood vessels, and other supporting tissues cannot be repaired. However, if the tooth is viable and can be successfully placed back into the socket, we can perform root canal treatment to save the tooth.
If the tooth is not viable, it will need to be replaced with a dental implant or partial denture. While waiting for the dental implant procedure, you or your child will have a temporary prosthetic to replace the missing tooth.
Broken, Cracked Tooth
A cracked or fractured tooth may or may not cause dental pain. Regardless, it needs to be addressed to prevent further breakdown and recurrent decay – both of which can result in tooth loss.
Your Santa Maria emergency dentist can perform an emergency procedure in which you’re fitted with a temporary crown that will protect the tooth and give it strength. After the emergency procedure, our team will schedule crown preparation and delivery appointments for you.
Lost Filling or Crown
It is important to replace a lost filling or crown as soon as possible. Without the protection of the crown or filling, the tooth is susceptible to pain, further breakdown, and decay.
Additionally, the teeth around the crowned tooth can shift because the crown is no longer there to fill the space. If you find your old crown, it may no longer fit because of this shift.
Your Santa Maria emergency dentist can perform palliative treatment by placing a temporary filling or crown to protect the tooth and prevent any pain or discomfort. Then, we’ll schedule an appointment to replace the temporary with a permanent restoration.
An Infection
An infection needs to be treated right away because not only can it cause intense pain, but it can also damage weak areas in your body and even be fatal.
Your dentist will determine the cause of the infection, take palliative action, and provide you with antibiotics to kill the infection. You may need root canal therapy, an extraction, or gum treatment.
Loose Teeth, Gum Inflammation
Loose teeth can result from trauma to the face or gum disease. Your dentist will evaluate your gum health, take x-rays to evaluate the jawbone, and likely recommend gum treatment.
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