If you're experiencing severe, sharp pain due to a cavity, an emergency dentist can provide you with a temporary filling as a form of emergency treatment. Our staff is available for both appointments and walk-in visits, so you can come in during regular office hours (9am to 5pm) or call us any time the need arises. We recommend that you don't wait more than 3 days to see our dentists, even if you have mild toothache. Our dentists leave free time in their schedules for urgent matters, so we should be able to visit you soon after you call. Temporary fillings are only required in a few conditions.
In most cases, your dentist will place a permanent filling. However, if you need an urgent filling due to an accident or sudden trauma to the tooth, your dentist will place a temporary filling. The only difference is that these fillings aren't designed to last forever and are likely to come loose or fall off if they aren't replaced in time. It's not uncommon for a tooth to feel tender or even have a dull ache (feeling of bruising) for the next few days as the body undergoes the natural healing process.
These symptoms are temporary (usually lasting less than a week) and tend to respond well to over-the-counter medications. You may feel a small crevice or a rough area on the back of a “front” tooth or on the top of a “back tooth”. This is where a temporary material was placed in the access that was made in the tooth to allow treatment. It's not unusual for a thin layer of temporary material to come off between appointments. However, if you believe that all the temporary filling has been done, please contact our office. To ensure that your tooth is properly protected from reinfection or fracture, it's important to avoid chewing on the treated tooth until the final restoration has been placed.
We recommend that you chew on the opposite side of the treated tooth whenever possible. We also monitor you every 6 months for 2 years after root canal treatment, and there is no charge for this service. You will receive a reminder card in our office after the treatment is finished so that you can contact our office within 6 months to obtain a digital image that evaluates healing. The temporary filling we place can last up to 2 weeks if you're kind to it. However, we recommend that you return to your general dentist for the final restoration as soon as possible after endodontics, in order to avoid problems resulting from reinfection or fracture that could jeopardize the prognosis of your tooth.
We recommend that you see your dentist as soon as possible to ensure that the storm does not rupture and allows the root canal system to be reinfected. We recommend that you see your referring dentist within 2 weeks. The soft pulp tissue has been infected, and both are removed during the root canal process. The hard root structure remains and “fully grew” years ago. We make a small access opening through the biting surface of the tooth that does not affect the structural integrity of the crown.
Most patients have little or no pain after surgery and Ibuprofen and Tylenol regimens are recommended for 1 to 2 days after the procedure. It depends on whether your insurance companies have a coordination of benefits whether your secondary insurance company will cover your co-pay or not. It's important to understand how your insurance companies work before you schedule treatment. Unfortunately, once a fracture extends to the root, there is still no “super glue” in the world that has the capacity to hold the broken root segments together for a predictable long-term prognosis. The fracture will continue to spread, even if the tooth is treated with a root canal, and will allow bacteria to re-enter the root canal system and cause a new infection. In this case, it's best to remove the tooth and replace it with a different prosthetic solution such as a bridge or single-tooth implant. We do not provide general anesthesia or intravenous anesthesia because of the risk involved in this type of anesthesia and costs that would represent a burden on patients.
We provide conscious sedation in form of nitrous oxide or pills (triazolam). Over past 40 years we've discovered that these methods combined with deep local anesthesia allow us to provide patient care they need most for 35-40 minute endodontic procedure. Yes, as long as you're feeling well we recommend that you wait until effect of local anesthesia has worn off before leaving our office so that you don't bite any tissue in your mouth and so that temporary access filling has chance to heal and doesn't come off. Unfortunately many insurance companies are deciding they will only pay for one endodontic procedure per tooth and for life no matter when previous endodontic procedure was performed or who did it. It's best to get informed about how your insurance companies work before scheduling treatment so that you can make sure you get best care possible without having any unexpected costs.
