Emergency Dental Treatment

Dental emergencies can happen anytime. A dinner leads to a broken filling. A fall in the park causes an unexpected chip. When you're faced with a damaged tooth or an abscess, it's time to book an emergency dental appointment with our dentist.

Schedule Your Emergency Dental Appointment with our Langley Dentist

Life is busy. If you have an emergency, you may be tempted to put your appointment on the back burner until you have more time. However, waiting days, weeks, or months to treat the problem can make the issue worse. Our Langley office will schedule an appointment as quickly as possible to address the problem before it progresses.

It doesn't take long for a dental issue to progress into a more complicated emergency.

What are Dental Emergencies?

Many people put off dental appointments because they don't believe they're experiencing a true dental emergency. But it’s always best to call our staff to see if your issue is an emergency so we can help determine whether you need to come in right away for an appointment or if you need emergency treatment within the range of services we provide.

Oral cancer proliferation of cells - yellow
Dental abscess adjacent to tooth on lower right side
Recession on tooth causing pain and cold sensitivity
Child with dentistry concern of caries out of control
Broken from tooth requiring emergency visit to the dentist

Common Symptoms of a Dental Emergency

Some of the most common symptoms of dental emergencies in dentistry include:

Call us to make an emergency dental appointment if you experience any of these symptoms. In addition, it's crucial to seek medical treatment if your neck is swollen or you have a high fever. It's best to visit the dentist before you have symptoms of a dental emergency.

We encourage our patients and others in the Langley area to come and see us at least twice a year for check-ups. Routine dental visits can help identify problems before they become an emergency situation.

Did You Know?

Gum disease and cavities are common dentistry issues. Data from the World Health Organization has found that:

Take Control of Your Oral Health

Maintaining your oral dentistry health is essential for your overall health. There are many things you can do to keep your smile as healthy and beautiful as possible, including:

What Causes Oral Diseases?

Your mouth harbors all kinds of bacteria, fungi, and viruses? Although this may not be a pleasant thought, most of these organisms are harmless in small quantities. However, the foods and beverages that you consume can turn your mouth into a breeding ground for bacteria.

Sugary foods and drinks create the perfect conditions for acid-producing bacteria to grow and flourish. Unfortunately, the acid produced by bacteria erodes tooth enamel and eventually develops into cavities.

Plaque can also lead to bacteria growth. Without regular brushing and flossing, plaque starts to build up and hardens. Plaque build-up leads to gum inflammation and the development of gum disease, or gingivitis.

As inflammation increases, your gums start to recede from your teeth. When this happens, little pockets form and begin collecting puss. This effect is a sign of periodontitis, which is an advanced stage of gum disease and makes cosmetic dentistry more difficult.

Sugary foods and drinks are just one of the many factors that can lead to a dentistry emergency situation. Others include:

Various dental issues and tooth diseases laid out in picture format

How are Emergency Diseases Diagnosed?

We can diagnose most dental issues right here in our Langley office. During your examination, the dentist will take a close look at your:

We may need to scrape or tap your teeth to help diagnose a problem. To help us get a better picture of your oral health, we may also take X-rays. Please tell us if you are pregnant. It's best to avoid X-rays during pregnancy.

Along with X-rays and a visual examination, we may also use a probe to measure gum pockets. A probe is a special tool that we use to determine whether your gums are receding or if you have gum disease.

When gums are healthy, pockets are 1-3mm, on average. Pockets that are larger than this may be a sign of gum disease.

We may need to do a gum biopsy if we discover any unusual growths or lesions in your mouth. During a biopsy, we will remove a small piece of tissue from the affected area. Then, the tissue sample is sent to a lab to check if the cells are cancerous. If there are signs of cancer, we may order imaging to see how far the disease has progressed.

Imaging tests can include:

If you suffer from dental anxiety we may recommend sedation for your treatment.

5 Dental Issues That Should be Treated Immediately

We use our mouths every day. With so much wear and tear, eventually, something goes wrong with your oral dentistry health. If you aren't taking care of your teeth, an emergency is more likely to pop up.

In many cases, you can prevent dental problems with proper oral hygiene. Still, most people will experience at least one oral health issue at some point in their lives, which may include:

Cavities

Cavities, or tooth decay, are very common in dentistry. Cavities are permanent damage. They form when bacteria and acid create plaque. The acid produced by bacteria damages the enamel and the connective tissue, or dentin, underneath.

Eventually, this leads to permanent damage and sometimes extractions requiring implants. Cavities can be treated with fillings or a root canal.

Gum Disease and Periodontitis

Gum disease, or gingivitis, causes inflammation of the gums. In many cases, gum disease develops because of poor oral hygiene and plaque build-up. Gingivitis can cause your gums to bleed and swell when you brush.

If left untreated, gum disease can progress into periodontitis. Periodontitis is a more severe infection that can affect the jaw and bones. In some cases, the condition can trigger the body's inflammatory response.

Tooth Sensitivity

Sensitivity is a common issue among our patients. If you feel discomfort or pain when consuming hot or cold drinks or foods, this is a sign of sensitivity. Some patients experience increased sensitivity after having a filling or root canal. But you can also develop this issue because of:

Using special toothpaste and mouthwash can help with sensitivity. Look for dental products that are made for sensitive teeth.

Broken and Cracked Teeth

Your teeth can become cracked or broken for a variety of reasons, such as:

Cracked and broken teeth can be emergencies. It's important to make an appointment with us right away if you have a broken or cracked tooth at our emergency dental clinic.

Oral Cancer

The Canadian Cancer Society forecast on their dentistry web page that 5,400 Canadians would be diagnosed with oral cavity cancer in 2020. Oral cancers can affect virtually any area of the mouth, including the:

Smoking and chewing tobacco are two significant risk factors for oral cancer. With regular dental visits with our Langley dentist, it's possible to detect signs of oral cancer early on.

Your Oral Health Affects Your Overall Health - Contact us for an Appointment

Your oral health affects your general health. Research has found an association between poor dental health and underlying medical conditions. So, a healthy mouth can help contribute to a healthy body overall.

Poor oral dentistry health may be associated with:

When bacteria spreads from your mouth into your bloodstream, it can cause infective endocarditis, which is a life-threatening condition in dentistry. Practicing good oral hygiene can not only give you a healthy, beautiful smile, but it can also help you maintain your general health.

For this reason, it's essential to take care of dental emergencies as soon as they happen. Putting them off will only give the problem a chance to grow and progress into something potentiallyworse.

‍Contact us today at our Langley clinic to book an appointment with our emergency dentist.

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