Dental emergencies are rare but can occur. An emergency dentist would be required in such cases. These emergencies could require a root canal. It is important to determine if an emergency dentist can perform a root canal procedure.
When is an emergency dentist required?
A root canal treatment is one that is required urgently. This can happen when the tooth infection begins to affect daily life such as distraction from work, school, or home activities.
Cases that require an emergency dentist to perform a root canal include car accidents that lead to knocking and breaking of teeth. A tooth can also break while chewing hard food and other objects. Sudden and unexplained intense toothaches can also occur that may require an emergency dentist.
The pain is normally intense and can cover a large area beyond the tooth. The tooth would normally have an abscess, the tooth might darken in color and there might be excessive bleeding. The abscess may be seen by the formation of a bump near the infected area.
Who is an emergency dentist?
An emergency dentist would be your regular dentist or a specialized emergency dentist. The specialized emergency dentists are available even after regular working hours. Many emergency dentists advertise themselves online and can also be found in the local directories. It would be prudent to keep the contacts of emergency dentists.
In situations where you do not find an emergency dentist, your doctor or a local hospital can assist. The local hospital would usually offer antibiotics and painkillers. They can also assist in case of severe bleeding.
Can an emergency dentist perform a root canal?
An emergency dentist who can do the job well would be one who has performed similar emergency procedures in the past and performed many regular root canals. It would be important that they have experience in almost every type of dental emergency. These would include broken teeth, crowns, and dentures.
An emergency root canal can be a complicated procedure. It is very easy for mistakes to happen during the procedure. This can lead to dangerous bleeding, tissue damage, and tooth loss.
An emergency dentist can only perform a root canal when he has all the required root canal treatment materials and tools. It is important for you to verify this if possible.
Emergency dentists are normally available on call. It is important to exercise caution when calling a dentist in case of an emergency. You should not rush to any dentist who answers your call. It is easy to make this mistake since you may be nervous, desperate, and with very limited choices of dentists at this point. You need to make sure that the emergency dentist is qualified and well experienced.
An emergency root canal performed in the right way can last a lifetime like a regular root canal. This is dependent on proper care and hygiene for the tooth. Indications of a successful procedure include the absence of pain and restoration of normal tooth use.
Conclusion
Qualified emergency dentists can perform root canal procedures. This is dependent on their skills, experience, and qualifications. They also would need to have all the required tools for the process. In case you experience any signs of serious infection such as inflamed and swollen gums, darkening of the tooth, and abscess formation, you should consider seeing an emergency dentist.
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