Emergency Dental Care for Your Toothache

January 8, 2014

Most cosmetic and restorative dental procedures can be scheduled for an appointment on a later date. But in the case of sudden toothaches where there is a lot of pain, you’d want to get emergency dental care as soon as possible. Delaying this further can lead to complications like the spread of infection or formation of abscess which can make the treatment more extensive and costly.

Columbia SC dentist Dr. Doug Forbes understands your need for immediate dental attention and the importance of being able to provide professional care at that moment. His Total Dental Care of South Carolina clinic offers same day dental care covering not just tooth aches, but other emergency cases like broken or knocked-out teeth, a lost filling or crown, a broken jaw or braces, a cut tongue, lip or cheek, including head and neck pain.

A toothache is typically a manifestation of a condition called pulpitis, or the inflammation of dental pulp tissue. The inflammation is brought about by the bacterial infection from the formation of caries or tooth decay, and since the pulp contains the blood vessels, connective tissue and nerves, the irritation to the dental pulp will naturally cause the tooth to feel pain.

The pain can range from mild to severe and may either be manageable or debilitating, that can escalate to include ear aches or pain when opening the mouth and even fevers. It is imperative that you see Dr. Forbes as soon as possible and not to delay the visit any further especially when you notice swelling around the tooth or observe a foul-tasting drainage from the infected tooth.

Dr. Forbes will first obtain your medical history and conduct a physical check of your mouth supported by X-rays and the results of a thorough discussion with you about your toothache. Depending on the cause of your problem, he will either fill or extract your damaged tooth if a cavity is causing the toothache, or perhaps a root canal therapy may be recommended if the infection has reached the nerve.

Cold laser phototherapy may be applied to lessen your pain and antibiotics may be prescribed should you have any swelling or fever. There’s no need to prolong your agony over your toothache, just call 803-272-4162 for an immediate appointment with Dr. Forbes at his Columbia SC dental clinic.

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