Emergency Dentist Medford

How Do I Know If My Toothache is an Infection?

There are many potential causes of a toothache, but not all are necessarily emergencies. For example, you might develop sensitivity from brushing too aggressively or eating too many acidic foods, which usually doesn’t require an urgent visit.

However, if bacteria in your mouth penetrate your enamel or connective tissues, it can trigger an infection that causes a more severe or throbbing sensation. Some additional signs that let you know you might have a problem can include:

• Persistent discomfort that worsens over time.
• A bitter taste in your mouth.
• Chronic bad breath, or halitosis.
• Enhanced sensitivity, especially to hot and cold temperatures.
• Red, swollen connective tissues around the sore tooth.
• A loose or destabilized tooth.
• Other signs of serious infection, such as fever or chills.

Can an Emergency Room Remove a Tooth?

Are you wondering whether your local emergency room can effectively assist with oral concerns, such as removing a troublesome tooth? It’s natural to wonder whether they can perform an extraction, but the truth is that only a licensed oral healthcare professional can perform this procedure safely. In fact, it can be illegal for other providers, including ER doctors at hospitals, to attempt it.

In some cases, the emergency room can provide antibiotics or pain medications to help ease your symptoms, but you may still require an extraction procedure to protect and preserve your dental health. If you have a severely decayed, injured, infected, or impacted tooth that might require removal, please contact our team so we can schedule you for a same-day emergency visit.  

How Can a Dental Abscess Be Treated?

A dental abscess is a pocket of pus that forms inside or around a damaged or infected tooth, which can cause aches and inflammation. You might feel tempted to pop it on your own, but this only releases the unhealthy bacteria into your mouth, which can cause additional irritation or other issues.

An abscess typically requires professional treatment to drain the fluids and help protect your tooth. Thankfully, Dr. Keyser has the specialized training and state-of-the-art equipment to safely treat the issue. This may involve making an incision in your gums or performing a root canal to access damaged or decayed materials to clear away unwanted germs and fluid buildup. Then our team might prescribe antibiotics to prevent a secondary infection while you recover.  

Will Removing a Bad Tooth Stop the Pain?

Although a root canal followed by placing a dental crown can sometimes be an effective way to alleviate aches and restore your smile’s appearance and function, sometimes teeth are too damaged for these treatments to be effective. In these circumstances, removing the troublesome tooth may be the best way to remove the problem at its source while preventing decay or disease from spreading to your gums, jawbone, or neighboring teeth.

Similarly, if your discomfort is caused by wisdom teeth growing in, then removing them can be the most effective way to provide some much-needed pain relief.