It might be challenging to decide when a dental problem necessitates the attention of an emergency dentist NW Calgary in your area and whether it constitutes a dental emergency. This occurs because people lack the formal education necessary to discriminate between more serious issues that need immediate attention and less serious ones that don’t. Cavities fall under this category since they are a general condition with a range of severity. You will find all the information you need regarding cavities and when you should look for emergency dental care in Calgary in this post. The enamel is the layer closest to the outside of your teeth. Cavities are regions of this layer that have been damaged, leading to a weak point in your tooth.
Additionally, the harm is irreversible and cannot be fixed without the assistance of a dentist in your area. They can develop and gradually begin to harm the deeper tissues of your teeth if left untreated. In this manner, minor weakness in your tooth’s enamel might worsen until it compromises its nerve and blood arteries. Cavities occasionally can cause dental abscesses.
What causes dental cavities?
You must have heard the advice to clean your teeth to prevent cavities at some time in your life. Since poor oral hygiene practices are the primary cause of tooth decay, this advice is excellent. We brush our teeth and floss to remove all the plaque, bacteria, and food that accumulate in our mouths. In the normal course of things, the bacteria in your mouth eat any sugars they can find and convert them to acid, which begins to erode your enamel. This is why removing the plaque that begins to build up after eating or even after drinking anything sweet is important. Therefore, brushing your teeth twice a day, flossing every day, and scheduling regular visits to a dentist in Calgary are the best ways to prevent cavities. Your oral health will prevent plaque buildup from damaging your teeth, and seeing the dentist will allow you to detect any cavities at an early stage.
How can one tell if they have a cavity?
Having routine checkups with your usual dentist is the best approach to find out whether you have a cavity. Some steps can be taken to prevent it from getting worse, like getting a filling. Other indications of a cavity, nevertheless, include:
- Toothache and discomfort without evident cause
- Sensitive teeth, especially when consuming hot, cold, or sweet foods or beverages
- When eating and/or drinking, there may be mild to acute pain.
- The tooth hurts when you bite down and apply pressure to it.
- Staining that is white, brown, or black on the teeth’s surface
- Apparent crazing or perforations on the tooth
When are cavities considered a dental emergency?
As was already said, not all cavities are created equal, and their severity varies depending on which tissues are affected. There are few indications in the early stages of tooth decay, and a dentist’s examination is the only way to determine if you have a cavity. However, when the infection worsens, symptoms start to show up, with mild tooth pain and dental sensitivity being the most common ones. The cavity isn’t an emergency, but it’s a good idea to go to a Calgary dentist’s practice and get treatment to prevent complications. When cavities are ignored and left untreated, they can get worse and endanger the health of your tooth. Cavities are currently a dental emergency that needs to be treated right away. These more complex cases are characterized by swelling and excruciating tooth pain that does not subside even after using painkillers. Additionally, a temperature is a bad sign because it is likely a sign of a tooth abscess, which an emergency dentist must treat.
As you can see, everything is based on how far along tooth decay is. This does not imply, though, that you should put off visiting the dentist until you cannot put it off any longer. Early cavity treatment in Calgary is significantly simpler and less painful than later treatment.
When should I visit the dentist?
Make a dental appointment as soon as you feel discomfort or pain in your teeth or gums. The dentist may advise dental sealants to protect teeth that might develop cavities and prevent them from ever occurring. To watch out for are the symptoms listed below:
- responsiveness to heat or cold
- gum pain or tooth ache
- Having difficulty chewing or biting
- enlarged gums
- Unusual appearance
Severe tooth decay treatment
The typical methods for treating deep cavities are listed below.
- Root canals – When it comes to dental procedures, root canals have a bad reputation for being frightening, although patients experience nothing. Additionally, any tooth pain the patient had before the procedure usually vanishes after it. The local anesthetics used throughout the procedure ensure that there is no pain. The afflicted tooth will have a hole drilled into it by the dentist so that special files may be used to scrape away the nerve and blood vessels. Depending on where it is, the tooth is then repaired with composite resin and sealed with gutta-percha before being covered with a crown.
- Extraction – A dentist could advise extraction if a tooth is so badly decayed that it can no longer be restored with a crown or if an infection risks spreading to other body parts. After the tooth has been extracted, prostheses like dentures, bridges, or implants can be used to replace it.
What happens if I don’t seek treatment for a tooth cavity?
Cavities can worsen if left untreated, leading to deeper and wider holes in the enamel. This may cause a severe toothache in addition to dental pulp infection, an abscessed tooth, or tooth loss. These circumstances qualify as a dental emergency. You should seek emergency care as soon as possible if you are experiencing extreme pain, major swelling, a fever, pus, or fluid draining from the affected location. An emergency dentist will provide you choices for treating the underlying problem, whether it be a filling, root canal treatment, or dental extraction, in addition to treating the pain.
If you are experiencing a dental emergency, don’t hesitate to call your Calgary dentist at Royal Oak Smile Dental, we accommodate and treat your dental emergencies as soon as possible. We are open 7 days a week to accommodate your dental needs. Call us at 403-374-6161 to book an appointment.
