Are You Looking For An Emergency Dentist?

Finding emergency dental care is the first thing on the mind of anyone who has:

• chipped a front tooth, crown or veneer
• a severe tooth ache
• a broken filling(s)
• local swelling
• facial swelling
• throbbing pain that wakes them up at night
• painful wisdom teeth
• irritated tongue
• lost a crown
• knocked out a tooth
• received a traumatic injury to the teeth, lips ort gums

If you a family member, friend or co-worker are suffering from any of these issues, you can count on Dr. Willoughby and his staff to provide you with emergency dental care needs! In our state of the art facilities, we are well equipped to provide treatment for all types of dental emergencies including loose and fractured teeth, toothaches, and other conditions.

To deal with a dental emergency during our normal office hours all you have to do is call our office (Phone: (604) 541-1800) we will without question – get you in right away to assess your dental needs and help get you out of immediate dental pain.

Sometimes these emergencies happen at a late hour or on the weekend and unfortunately, most dentists are not open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Knowing what to do and how to handle a dental emergency as well as who to call is important for everyone.

Listed below are just a few of the more common Dental emergencies.

Lost Adult Tooth

Dental injuries can also occur at times when and places where they’re least expected so it is important to know what to do in the case of a lost adult tooth. Dental emergencies can occur during hockey, football, and other contact sports. If you’ve had a tooth knocked completely out, it’s important to contact a dentist immediately. If your tooth has been knocked out, pick the tooth up by the crown, not the roots, rinse it quickly in cold water and then try to gently insert it into the socket and hold it there until you reach the dentist’s office. If you are unable to do so, place the tooth in a glass of milk and bring it with you to a dentist as quickly as possible. Most of the time an ‘avulsed’ tooth can be re-implanted IF you care for it properly and see an emergency dentist as soon as possible. Call our office immediately to schedule an appointment that same day. If this occurs after hours, and you cannot reach Dr. Willoughby on his mobile phone, then leave a detailed message for him and then go straight to the emergency ward at your local hospital (and don’t forget the tooth!)

Fractured Adult Tooth

Sometimes an individual may suddenly feel severe pain after biting down into something hard. In many of these cases, the individual has suffered a cracked tooth or broken off a cusp or a filling. This condition is quite common and requires fairly immediate dental attention. Sometimes when this occurs, the fracture is so deep that it can involve or even expose the nerve, which can cause mild to moderate discomfort. Depending on your level of discomfort you will need to schedule an appointment right away to prevent further complications –without which the pain and discomfort can escalate quickly. This condition can be caused by a number of factors such as teeth grinding, wear and tear, and uneven chewing pressure.

Severe Toothache

If you are experiencing chronic toothache pain do not put off a visit to the dentist – waiting will only allow the issue causing the pain to grow worse. There are many different causes for toothache pain. Cavities are a common cause of pain but they can often occur without pain. If you are experiencing severe pain it is possible that the bacteria causing the tooth decay has reached the nerve of the tooth, causing an irreversible infection. If left un-treated this can lead to the formation of an abscess and even more pain. When the nerve of a tooth becomes infected most of the time (as long as it still has good bone support) the tooth can still be saved by removing the nerve inside the tooth –a usually painless procedure referred to as “root canal therapy”. Each and every year Dr. Willoughby performs hundreds and hundreds of root canal treatments in order to help his patients save their teeth. Digital x-ray technology can often times help Dr. Willoughby to quickly identify the problem tooth and give you his expert opinion as to whether or not the tooth in question is worth saving or not. Once a diagnosis has been established Dr Willoughby will discuss treatment options. Dr Willoughby will always discuss with you all reasonable treatment options, and the risks, benefits and costs of each procedure. If the infection has reached a point where it has started to destroy the surrounding bone, sometime the tooth cannot be saved and must be extracted. Even if this occurs there are still other option for replacing that tooth which Dr. Willoughby and his staff will be sure to discuss with you.

A large percentage of general dentists offer emergency dental services but it is often difficult to fit an emergency patient into their established schedule as soon as possible. In emergency dentistry it is important to treat the pain as well as the problem as quickly as possible, and this often involves temporary solutions so that the patient can resume their life quickly. Unfortunately this means the patient will sometimes have to return when it is more convenient to get a more permanent treatment solution. Of course the first step to getting dental emergency services is finding a dental emergency dentist in your area.

Dr. Willoughby provides emergency dental services to all his existing as well as new patients but, we are not a 24 hour dental emergency clinic. However, we do offer extended care hours to try and accommodate emergencies late either late in the day or early in the morning. We will always do our best to accommodate your emergency dental needs that same day. Unfortunately not all emergencies happen during the day, accidents can happen and if they happen after hours and require immediate medical attention, we encourage you to call our office and listen to our voice mail message lists which lists Dr. Willoughby’s emergency contact information You are welcome to call his mobile # and try to arrange for a prescription to help you manage your pain until the next business day.

Dr. Andrew Willoughby is a caring and experienced general Dentist and he and his staff are dedicated to the good health and well-being of his clients – you are more than welcome to join our family of patients. If you would like schedule an appointment with Dr. Andrew Willoughby call (604) 541-1800 to schedule your appointment – New Patients are always welcome!

Not all Dental emergencies can be prevented but you can and should take certain steps to reduce the likelihood of toothaches and dental pain such as:

• Visit your Dentist for regular checkups and dental cleanings
• If you have a tooth problem, do not wait for it to start causing pain – schedule a dental appointment a.s.a.p. to get that issue evaluated.
• Wear a properly constructed sports mouth guard when playing contact sports.