Emergency Dentistry – Albuquerque, NM
We’re Here When You Need Us
When faced with a dental emergency, you may worry about finding a professional who is open and available to help. Fortunately, Dr. Keanna offers same-day and weekend emergency appointments, making it possible for you to seek help when you need it. No matter if you’re experiencing a serious toothache, knocked-out tooth, or soft tissue injury, our team will provide helpful at-home tips while scheduling you for immediate treatment. To find out more about emergency dentistry in Albuquerque, NM, contact us.
Why Choose Natural Dental Services for Emergency Dentistry?
- Same-Day and Weekend Appointments
- Dentist with Decades of Experience
- Safe and Effective Restorative Treatments Provided
How We Treat Dental Emergencies
When experiencing a dental emergency, we encourage you to contact our dental office immediately. While you wait for your appointment, we will offer at-home tips you can use to manage your symptoms. Once you arrive at our dental office, Dr. Keanna will examine your oral cavity before working to eliminate pain and discomfort. We’ll then create a treatment plan that uses safe restorative services designed to improve your smile while keeping your total-body health in mind.
The Most Common Dental Emergencies
Dental emergencies come in all shapes and sizes. Dr. Keanna has seen injuries of all types ranging from severe toothaches and broken dentures to chronic jaw pain and knocked-out teeth. While you might not think your injury is serious enough to warrant a visit, it is better to call and schedule an appointment than wait and discover the problem has only worsened. Once we evaluate your situation, we can provide appropriate care to improve your oral health.
Some of the most common dental emergencies include:
Keys to Preventing Dental Emergencies
While it’s comforting to know you have someone you can turn to when a dental emergency occurs, it is better to prevent them if you can. Not all injuries are avoidable, but if you want to lower your risk for severe damage, there are steps you can take. From improving your oral hygiene routine to wearing proper mouth protection, being proactive about the safety of your smile will be beneficial in the long run.
Tooth Extractions
One of our goals is to help you keep your natural teeth as long as possible. Unfortunately, a tooth must be removed if it might potentially harm your oral and overall health. Dr. Keanna will safely remove the periodontal ligament for a swifter and more successful procedure. This type of treatment is recommended if gum disease is damaging the bone, wisdom teeth are impacted or painful, or your tooth is damaged and cannot be restored. Our extraction process focuses on atraumatic tooth removal and on removing the periodontal ligament, then we focus on socket preservation. This is an involved process in which the bone is given the nutrients it needs to repair and make its own bone tissue faster. We do not use cadaver or animal derived grafts in our dental office.
Dental Emergency FAQs
Dr. Keanna and our team are ready to leap into action when you are in urgent need of our services. Before you save our number in your phone, though, you might have questions about various emergency situations and how to handle them. To help you gather information, we have put together the following list of dental emergency FAQs, along with succinct answers. If your specific questions are not mentioned here, please reach out to us directly.
Will My Toothache Go Away on Its Own?
Teeth cannot heal themselves, so toothaches do not usually go away on their own. In fact, they are likely to get worse.
Of course, some toothaches do disappear for one of the following reasons:
- The tooth was not damaged. Sometimes, teeth can hurt if the sinuses are congested or nearby soft tissues are injured. As such issues resolve, a toothache can go away.
- The tooth died. If the nerve inside a tooth dies, it can no longer send pain signals to the brain. That is not a good thing. The infection that caused the tooth to die may still be present. It could continue to attack nearby tissues. It might even cause systemic illness.
Any time you have a toothache, it would be wise to seek a dentist’s opinion.
How Should I Sleep with Tooth Pain?
If a toothache is keeping you awake at night, try the following steps:
- Keep your head elevated to reduce blood flow to the aching tooth.
- Take over-the-counter pain relievers.
- Apply a cold compress to the side of your face.
- Place clove oil or an over-the-counter numbing agent on the painful area.
Should I Visit the Emergency Room First for Dental Emergencies?
Most hospital emergency rooms are not equipped to handle toothaches and other dental emergencies. They might give you pain medication and tell you to visit your dentist at the earliest opportunity. For most oral health issues, it is best to go straight to a dentist.
However, there are some exceptions. If you are experiencing severe bleeding, restricted breathing, a broken jaw, or a high fever as the result of a dental infection, you should go to the ER. Later, you can receive follow-up care from a dentist.
Should Knocked-Out Teeth Be Placed in Water?
Water can damage the root surface cells of a knocked-out tooth, so even though you should keep the tooth moist, you should not use plain water to do so. Rather, try to place the tooth back in its socket or tuck it between your cheek and gums. Alternatively, you could put it in milk or use a tooth preservation kit from a local pharmacy.