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tooth aches and discomfort

Emergencies: At Stouffville Smiles Dentistry, we take care of your dental emergencies right away. Dental pain is one of the worst types of pain you will ever experience and our emergency dentists and staff are available for same day appointments.

We are a recognized emergency dental clinic in Stouffville and offer in house after hours and walk in emergency dentistry to the residents of Stouffville, Markham, Goodwood, Uxbridge, Ballantrae, Richmond Hill for both adults, children, toddlers and even infants. We follow the recommendations of the Ontario Dental Association.

We offer convenient early morning, late evening and weekend appointments to accommodate your busy schedule.

We also offer flexible payment plans and direct insurance billing to facilitate and help with the expenses.

Common Dental Emergencies

The following are some common dental emergencies that require immediate care, and tips on what to do before you can come see us.

Toothache

If you have severe or constant pain or ache, contact us immediately. We triage every case individually and will make very attempt to get you out of pain and/or treat you the same day. Toothache can be caused by a number of things but the most common is a cavity or chip or crack in the tooth. Diagnosis of toothache is an art and a science and our team is specially trained to identify them. As a one stop shop, we deal with all kinds and the various forms of toothache and are able to identify and treat your pain promptly. The treatment can range from a simple filling to a root canal therapy or extraction of the tooth depending on the severity.

tooth aches and discomfort
Tooth Ache

Chipped or broken tooth

When your tooth is chipped or broken, all is not lost and prompt treatment can save the tooth from further damage and the need for extensive treatment.

Knocked-out tooth

When teeth get knocked out due to trauma or an accident, it is prudent to save the tooth within the first hour or so. We recommend saving the tooth by placing it under your tongue to not let it dry. This keeps the tooth hydrated and can often be placed back.

Loose tooth

A loose tooth can be caused by gum disease and the loss of bone or due to fractures that go deep into the roots of the tooth. You should contact us immediate to see if the tooth can be saved or it needs to be extracted and replaced. We offer same day implants where your tooth will be extracted, an implant placed and a temporary tooth (crown) placed the same day.

A loose tooth could be caused by gum disease or by a blow to the mouth. In any case, it is a serious problem. You should see your dentist.

Lost filling

Although when a filling is lost, there may be no pain, it is important to replace the missing filling and the address the cause as soon as possible. If a tooth is left without the filling for a long time, it can lead to more damage and infection.

Something stuck between teeth

When a foreign object is stuck between the tooth, it can become quite painful. Try removing it with a floss but if not successful, don’t try too hard. You could cause more damage.

Bleeding

Most bleeding happens from the gums due to an infection or trauma. Regular cleaning and hygiene visits can prevent this. Continued bleeding and/or taste of blood in your mouth is an indication of a bigger problem that will need to be addressed.

Swelling

Swelling or edema is a sign that your body is battling an infection and it is trying to localize the infection so it doesn’t affect the rest of your body. It is important to identify the source of the infection and to remove that first to allow the body to heal.

Wisdom tooth pain and emergency

Wisdom teeth are a nuisance and most times need to be removed to prevent infections, swellings and/or pain. This happens because wisdom teeth are often not straight and do not have enough space to erupt into the oral cavity properly. When this happens they serve no function and allow bacteria to get trapped in and around the wisdom tooth and/or the gum causing an infection.

Swollen gum around one tooth: Causes and treatment
Cracked Tooth
Why Are My Gums Swollen? | Causes, Treatment, & Prevention
Bleeding and Swollen Gums
Pericoronitis
Swelling Due to Wisdom Tooth

How to Prevent Dental Emergencies

Most dental emergencies are preventable.

  • Regular cleaning, exams and hygiene visits: a hygienist undergoes extensive training to make sure they catch smaller problems early before they become bigger problems. We typically recommend a visit every 3-6 months and regular checkups and x-rays every 6-12 months to diagnose and treat the smaller problems before they become emergent and urgent problems.
  • Nightguards: with an increase in stress levels in our lives, we are seeing an increase in dental emergencies related to grinding and clenching such as chips, fractures and cracks in teeth that can be very painful. Ask us about our digital nightguards.
  • Fillings: when a small cavity is forming or has already formed, we recommend removing the decay and filling the tooth or placing a crown. This prevents the cavity from becoming bigger and causing an infection and/or loss of the tooth.

Things to Avoid

  • Avoid visiting the emergency room: hospitals are not equipped to deal with dental problems and visiting an ER only puts undue pressure on our already at capacity public health care system. You will not only wait a few hours to be seen but due to lack of expertise, your problem will not be resolved and you will be sent to a dentist.
  • Avoid taking antibiotics and/or painkillers: taking antibiotics when you don’t know if there is an infection or not will only delay treatment and make things worse. You may take painkillers to deal with the symptoms temporarily but doing so for a long time will simply mask the problem and allow the problem to get bigger making the treatment more difficult and more extensive.
  • Avoid self diagnosis: although some dental problems and emergencies may seem straight forward, most are not and the wrong diagnosis will only delay prompt treatment and make matters worse.
  • Avoid not visiting the dentist: we understand the barriers to prompt dental care – anxiety, financial worries and lack of time. We are the only offie in Stouffville to provide sedation and sleep dentistry services to help you manage the dental anxiety and our office is designed for such services. With our flexible payment plans and our dedicated financial and treatment coordinators, we will always find a way to make your dental treatment affordable.

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