Identifying issues early is the best way to avoid costly and potentially complicated emergency procedures.
Routine check-ups and diagnostic x-rays are essential to preventative dentistry.
Dental Emergencies
Dental emergencies range from severe toothaches to knocked out teeth, and even instances as critical as a dental abscess, which can become serious when left untreated.
Dental emergencies can happen any time, day or night. At Martina Lavery Dental, we prioritise dental emergencies to ensure we are available when you need us most. We are proud to offer same-day and after-hours treatment for dental emergencies. Proper attention at the time of the emergency is the difference between saving or losing your tooth.
Knocked-Out Teeth
No matter the circumstances, a knocked-out tooth requires urgent attention. When appropriate steps are immediately taken, we have a significantly better chance at preserving and reinserting the tooth. Below are a few key tips to remember when confronted with a knocked-out tooth:
- Call Dr. Martina immediately
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Pick up the tooth by the crown, not the root
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Rinse the tooth and then immediately place back into the socket if possible
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If you cannot place the tooth back in the socket, place in small container of milk
Loose Teeth
When a permanent tooth becomes loose, it may require splinting to adjacent teeth to keep it stabilised. Prompt treatment is essential to prevent further loosening and potential tooth loss.
Chipped, Cracked, and Fractured Teeth
Fractured teeth can be caused by a weakened tooth breaking or due to facial trauma. Pain relief and a cold compress are helpful after facial trauma to relieve inflammation.
When the structure of the tooth fractures, it compromises its integrity and strength, making it susceptible to continued damage and deterioration. This is why we strongly recommend contacting our studio as soon as possible, even when pain is not present to avoid further complications.
Temporary Restorations
It is important to note, a temporary crown or filling coming off is not a dental emergency. It can be easily reinserted by applying Vaseline or denture adhesive and placing back onto the tooth.
Smoothing a chipped tooth and recementing a crown or composite bonding are also not considered dental emergencies. Please feel free to call the studio to inform us of the issue and we are happy to advise over the phone. If further treatment is required, we will then book you in for an appointment.
Routine Check-Ups
We strongly recommend routine check-ups as a way to avoid dental emergencies. Regular check-ups and diagnostic x-rays are extremely effective in detecting oral conditions before a toothache or further damage occurs. Typically, treatment for decay, fractures, and gum disease are less invasive and costly when identified and treated early.
Extractions
Occasionally, the removal of a troubled tooth is the only solution to improving your oral health. A tooth requires extraction if it is damaged by decay, fractured due to a crack, knocked out by trauma, or unrestorable due to gum disease.
At Martina Lavery Dental, we acknowledge the difficulty of this decision and will explore all of the possible treatments and solutions available. If extraction is the only option, we urge you to stay positive as there are many exceptional tooth replacement options.
Wisdom teeth are also a common reason for extraction, as they are difficult to clean and might lead to decay or infection. Occasionally, extra space is needed in the mouth for adult teeth growth or straightening via braces.
Procedure
Dr. Martina routinely does all extractions with local anaesthetic
This means the extraction is swift and less traumatic to the surrounding tissue. Non-traumatic dental extractions result in less pain and a quicker recovery. They also conserve the bone structure, which is crucial if a dental implant is to be placed at the extraction site. Implants need bone to integrate, so the more bone left behind after an extraction, the better.
Cost
The cost depends on the difficulty of the extraction. At Martina Lavery Dental, we always advise and explain the cost prior to treatment.
We also offer groundbreaking, gold-standard grafting procedures immediately after your extraction to optimise the bone quantity and in turn improve the quality of your wound.
Recovery
Patients typically recover with little to no complications. For patients who require multiple extractions or are feeling particularly anxious, we offer many different options to alleviate procedure anxiety. In more complex situations, we offer extractions under sedation with a registered anaesthetist. Rarely does a patient request to be admitted to hospital for extractions under general anaesthetic, however, we can arrange the appropriate referral when necessary.
Cracked Teeth
Cracked teeth syndrome is a common condition exacerbated by large fillings or teeth grinding, also known as bruxism, that usually occurs during sleep. While it is more common for cracked teeth syndrome to occur in later years, a cracked tooth is possible at any age.
Untreated Bruxism
If you suspect you grind your teeth at night, but do not wear a protective night guard, the excessive pressure could lead to long-term damage. Cracked teeth are only one aspect of the premature ageing of teeth - shortened teeth and overall wear can also occur.
Discomfort in Cracked Teeth
Both sharp and dull pains are consistent with cracked teeth. You might feel a sharp pain when chewing, specifically when eating something particularly firm or chewy that works its way into the fissures of the teeth. This is an indication that the tooth may split and require extraction.
Cracked Teeth Treatment
When a crack develops in the enamel of the teeth, the structure becomes compromised. The smaller the crack, the easier to treat in most cases - which is why we suggest routine check-ups to ensure we catch potential problems as early as possible.
The splitting of enamel creates tiny micro-fractures that allows for bacteria to enter the tooth. When this occurs, the tooth may develop an infection and require root canal treatment.
At Martina Lavery Dental we recommend a dental crown, or cap, to cover and also reinforce the tooth. Bonded composite fillings are generally not enough to repair cracked teeth because they are designed to seal a tooth, rather than strengthen it. We offer a number of options, the most popular of which is porcelain. Tooth-coloured porcelain is durable and blends well with the rest of your teeth. Dr. Martina takes great care to match your true tooth shade for the most natural looking smile.
As for the procedure, we first anaesthetise the tooth. Dr. Martina will then remove the damaged tooth structure and create space for the crown prior to taking an impression to send to our local dental lab. We work closely with our technicians to design a restoration that matches your smile and fits comfortably with your bite. A temporary crown will protect your tooth until your customised restoration arrives. Dr. Martina will then bond it permanently to your tooth.
Please contact our Baulkham Hills dental clinic to arrange a booking. Please note - we also service Northmead, Baulkham Hills, and Bella Vista areas.