Many people are anxious about seeing the dentist, and others might be worried about the costs associated with a dental visit. However, neither of these are good reasons to skip seeing the dentist if you have a throbbing toothache. Toothaches are often caused by advanced dental infections that can have disastrous results for your overall health if they are not treated in time. Here’s why it’s so important to have your toothache treated by an emergency dentist as soon as possible.
What Causes a Toothache?
While toothaches can be caused by injury, teeth grinding, temperature shifts, or even debris stuck between the teeth, a severe toothache may be caused by advanced tooth decay. Once a cavity is formed, it will not heal on its own and will only get worse. If the decay is allowed to breach the enamel and dentin layers, the pulp will become infected, resulting in a throbbing, agonizing toothache that will not go away without dental treatment. Even if the pain seems to stop, it will only be because the nerve in the pulp has died, and the infection will continue to advance.
How Can a Toothache Send Me to the Emergency Room?
Tooth decay doesn’t always stay in one tooth. It can spread to other teeth in the mouth, resulting in new cavities that will eventually cause tooth loss if left untreated. The bacteria that cause tooth decay may also spread to other parts of the body, where they can cause dangerous secondary infections like sepsis or pneumonia. Infections like these have sent many people to the emergency room and, if they are left untreated, can be fatal.
How Will an Emergency Dentist Treat My Toothache?
Severely infected teeth are usually treated with a root canal, and while these treatments may have a bad reputation, getting one is quite comfortable when compared to a throbbing toothache. During a root canal, your dentist will apply a local anesthetic to render the whole process completely painless before accessing the inner chamber of the tooth and removing the infected pulp. The interior of the tooth will then be sanitized, filled, and sealed, and a dental crown will be place on the tooth to restore its appearance and function. This procedure can save a tooth from extraction.
Delaying a needed dental treatment can have disastrous consequences. Having your infected tooth treated early can save you much money and suffering in the long run.
About the Author
Dr. Rajiv Shekhadiya earned his dental degree from New York University and is proudly affiliated with the American Dental Association, the Texas Dental Association, and the Dallas County Dental Society. His office in Carrollton, TX offers general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry such as root canals. If you need treatment for a severe toothache, dial (469) 694-3766. For more information, contact his office online.