Emergency Assessment: What Happens at Urgent Appointments?

Although proper preventive care can help avoid common oral issues that contribute to dental emergencies, there’s no guarantee that you will never experience one. Problems like toothaches or injured, loosened, or dislodged teeth or restorations can put your smile at risk and often require an emergency appointment to address. If you’re already in pain and feeling anxious about seeing the dentist, learning more about what happens during urgent visits can provide some much-needed peace of mind. Continue reading to learn more about how your dentist handles emergencies!

Step 1: Discussion & Examination

When you arrive at the scheduled time, your dentist will carefully assess your teeth and gums to identify the issue. If you are hurt or bleeding, they will carefully clean your mouth to avoid triggering adverse sensations so they can look for the underlying concern. They might ask questions about what happened to more accurately understand the problem at hand. Having an honest discussion with them about it can help them provide appropriate solutions more quickly.

Step 2: Pain Relief & Imaging

If you’re hurting, your provider will likely apply a local anesthetic to help you feel calmer and more relaxed for the remainder of your visit. Then, they may need to acquire additional images or scans to see beneath the surface of your enamel and connective tissues to create a comprehensive picture of your dental health. Thanks to current developments in dental technology, today, your dentist can create a complete 3D model of your teeth and gums more comfortably using advanced equipment, like digital X-rays and a CT/cone beam scanner.

Step 3: Treatment Plan

Once your dentist identifies the root problem, they can suggest appropriate treatments. For instance, an infected tooth might be repaired with a root canal followed by placing a dental crown. The solution depends entirely on your unique circumstances, and your provider will take the time to walk you through the details for your approval before proceeding.

Step 4: Initial Procedure

Some procedures, like placing tooth-colored fillings or dental bonding to mend damaged enamel, can be completed in a single procedure. However, other options, like replacing missing teeth, can take multiple appointments over several weeks to complete. Your dentist will do what they can to mend the damage during your initial visit, but some required services involve additional follow-up visits. It’s natural to feel anxious about seeing your dentist for an emergency, but the sooner you contact them, the faster they can alleviate your aches and offer smile-saving solutions!

Meet the Author

Dr. Robert Camenzuli enjoys helping patients improve their lives by enhancing their dental health. He earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the Louisiana State University School of Dentistry, and today, is one of 6% of dentists to become a Fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry. He takes the time to get to know your unique concerns and goals, then combines a gentle, caring approach with advanced technology to deliver comfortable, accurate treatments to address them. You can request an appointment on the website or call (504) 895-3400.