Emergency Dental Care

Emergency Dental CareOak Ridge, TN

At John B. Burgess, DDS, we provide emergency dental care that helps to restore a tooth that sustains damage from an accident or infection. If you live in Oak Ridge or the surrounding area, we encourage you to save our phone number. Since there is no way to tell if or when you may have a dental emergency, putting (865) 321-9505 in your contact list can save you a trip to the emergency room.

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    Why we provide emergency dental care

    We provide emergency dental care to ensure that patients can get the help they need right away. If you leave a damaged or infected tooth alone, you will risk the infection spreading.

    Why should I visit you for emergency dental care instead of going to the ER?

    While the physicians at the emergency room are skilled at treating health emergencies, they are not familiar with dental care. They can triage any problem that you have by helping to stop the bleeding, but they will not be able to restore a damaged tooth. Likewise, if you visit an emergency room due to dental pain, they can provide you with pain relief but cannot find out what is causing the pain and work to solve it. This is why you need to visit the dentist instead. Remember that even if you go to the emergency room, you will still likely need to visit the dentist anyway. Visit us for emergency dental care instead to save yourself the extra pain, time and money.

    What types of procedures does an emergency dentist perform?

    At John B. Burgess, DDS, our team provides the same type of services that you can receive during a traditional dental visit. The two most common issues that we address during emergency dental visits are:

    Damage

    It is actually fairly common for teeth to sustain damage in an accident. The damage can be due to a standard car accident, workplace injury, sports accident or other situation. While most adults do not think about cracking a tooth while playing a pickup game of basketball – it happens. These casual everyday events can lead to sudden tooth damage and if they do, you need to be sure to repair the damage as soon as possible. While providing emergency dental care, we can fix a cracked tooth, chipped tooth or even a tooth that is knocked out.

    If you need an immediate dental restoration in the Oak Ridge area, visit our office. For fast results we can use dental bonding. This is a resin, tooth-colored material that can be placed on top of your tooth, shaped, and hardened using a special dental light. It can be completed in one sitting so that you can walk in with a chipped tooth and leave with a fully restored one. Other solutions like dental veneers and dental crowns are also available to correct damage but typically require two visits to do so.

    We can also provide emergency dental care if your tooth has been knocked out due to an accident or has fallen out after becoming loose. If you can find the tooth, rinse it and put it in a cup of milk, then come to our Oak Ridge, TN dental office right away. There is a possibility that the tooth can be put back in your mouth. Otherwise, we can discuss replacement options that include dentures, a dental bridge, or a dental implant. All of these are possibilities that can appear completely natural so to learn more about them, call 865-321-9505.

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    Toothaches.

    With emergency dental care, we see a lot of Tennessee patients that are suffering from a major toothache. This is a top reason that people seek out care right away instead of waiting for Monday or for the dentist to open in the morning. When a toothache strikes it can be debilitating and we can provide relief. The good news is that it does not have to be. At John B. Burgess, DDS, we have found that most toothaches do not happen without warning. Typically, there are signs that can include discomfort when biting down, sensitivity to heat or cold, irritation when brushing or flossing, etc. If you sense any of these things, we encourage you to call (865) 321-9505 and schedule an appointment for a dental exam. We can examine your teeth, look for any signs of infection or decay and treat the problem before you go from moderate discomfort to a raging toothache. Our friendly Oak Ridge staff can work with you to schedule an appointment that fits within your schedule so that you have no reason to delay in seeking treatment. However, if you do not come in right away and do develop a bad toothache, we want to see you.

    One of the common reasons for a bad toothache is severe decay or an infection. To resolve this issue, we may need to perform a root canal. We can do this while providing you with emergency dental care. Since the discomfort is caused by the infection, removing it will help you to feel better right away. First, we will numb the area and provide you with anesthesia and then create a small hole in your tooth so that the infected portion of it can be removed. Once done, the area will be cleaned before it is sealed. We will do everything available to safely ensure that the procedure is comfortable. After we finish the procedure, you will begin to feel significantly better than when you first came in. Sometimes it is also necessary to restore the tooth with a dental filling or crown. If this is the case we can either complete that portion of the procedure immediately or schedule a second appointment to do so.

    Call John B. Burgess, DDS for Emergency Dental Care

    If you live in Oak Ridge, TN or the surrounding area, call 865-321-9505 if you have any type of dental emergency. We will work to get you treated right away so that your discomfort can be relieved, your tooth restored, and your smile improved. We can also discuss any other oral health concerns that you may have.

    Definition of Dental Emergency Terminology
    Abscess
    A dental abscess is a pocket of pus the forms in the tooth root from a bacterial infection.
    Facial Cellulitis
    Facial cellulitis is a condition in which an infection from an abscess or plaque in the teeth causes pain and spreads throughout the face.
    Impacted Wisdom Tooth
    An impacted wisdom tooth is a tooth that does not erupt from the gums properly that can cause pain and become infected without professional extraction.
    Irreversible Pulpitis
    Irreversible pulpitis is when the pain in the tooth occurs spontaneously or continues to hurt after the patient removes the hot/cold substance that was causing pain. Normal pulpitis will cease hurting directly after removing what is causing the pain.
    Lateral Luxation
    Later luxation is the displacement of a tooth that moves it in the wrong direction while it is still attached to the gums.
    Pericoronitis
    Pericoronitis is the inflammation of soft tissues surrounding a tooth that does not fully erupt from the gums and causes pain.
    Tooth Avulsion
    Tooth avulsion is when the tooth completely displaces from the socket due to an accident or other health issues. We can replant the tooth if the patient seeks immediate care.
    Tooth Fracture
    A tooth fracture can result from multiple sources including an accidental elbow to the face during a sports game, biting on something really hard, falling face first and more.

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