Stop the Pain: What to Do for Dental Emergencies

An unbearable toothache is enough to keep you up all night. And a knocked-out tooth will need professional dental care right away in order to preserve the tooth. From minor injuries to serious emergencies, when dental problems arise, it’s important to understand how to care for your injuries until you can get to your dentist in Pasadena, CA. 

How to Stop Agonizing Tooth Pain

• Applying a cold compress to the side of your cheek
• Elevating your head to reduce the pressure on the affected tooth
• Rinsing with a mixture of salt and water to remove and food particles or debris that may be irritating your toothache. 
• Avoiding foods that intensify the pain, such as foods with extreme temperature or foods that are hard to chew

Preserving a Knocked-Out Tooth

Preventing Injuries to the Teeth and Mouth

Oral surgery might not be your first option because of the preparation and recovery it usually involves, but it can often restore or improve your oral health immensely. It can even help you function better while chewing or speaking in many cases. Dr. Peter Cooper, an oral surgeon in Pasadena, CA, performs routine and complex oral surgery at Pasadena Dental Implants. With careful planning, you can feel confident going into your surgery.

Reasons why oral surgery is necessary

Any time you feel a lot of pain in the mouth, you need to visit your dentist. Jaw pain and teeth that no longer fit together comfortably are also surefire reasons why you might want to meet with a dentist or oral surgeon as soon as you can. After an examination and some possible X-rays, you'll know whether or not you need oral surgery.

Your oral surgeon in Pasadena, CA, can treat a multitude of tooth and jaw complications using the latest and most advanced surgical techniques. Just a few of the many problems that oral surgery can address are:

• Impacted teeth
• Traumatic facial injuries
• Suspicious oral lesions
• Missing teeth (if you choose to replace them with dental implants)
• Temporomandibular joint dysfunction and jaw pain
• Severe jaw misalignment
• Cleft lip or palate
• Sleep apnea

There are countless reasons why oral surgery may be necessary for your treatment, and your dentist only recommends surgery if no other approach can fix your issue. Your oral surgeon describes his approach in detail and tells you what you'll need to know for the recovery stage.

How to make sure you're prepared for oral surgery

Once the process of examining your mouth, taking X-rays, and planning your oral surgery is complete, you get some instructions to follow that will help set you up for success and smooth healing. If your dentist tells you that you need oral surgery, you can expect to prepare by asking plenty of questions during your first few visits.

The steps you should take depend on the type of oral surgery you need.

Pain in the face, jaw, or mouth might indicate a need for oral surgery, especially if it's getting worse. You can set up a consultation for oral surgery with Dr. Peter Cooper at Pasadena Dental Implants by calling the Pasadena, CA, office at (626) 796-1241.

Treating periodontal (gum) disease promptly will help you avoid pain, receding gums, and tooth loss. Your Pasadena, CA, periodontist, Dr. Peter Cooper, can recommend treatments that will help you improve the health of your gums if you have periodontal disease.

Do you have periodontal disease?

More than 47% of adults in the U.S. have some form of periodontal disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Gingivitis, the mildest form of gum disease, can cause red gums, tenderness, receding gums, and bleeding when you brush or floss.

If the disease becomes more severe, the gums may pull away from the teeth forming deep pockets that fill with bacteria and debris. Painful infections that destroy gum tissue and the bones and ligaments that hold teeth in place can occur if you have severe gum disease. If the disease isn't treated, you may lose your teeth.

How is periodontal disease treated?

Often, a dental cleaning and better oral hygiene can reverse gingivitis. Cleaning and flossing your teeth daily removes plaque, a clear film that contains bacteria, and tartar, a hard deposit that forms when plaque remains on your teeth for as little as 10 days.

Depending on the severity of the disease, your periodontist may recommend one or more of these treatments during your visit to the Pasadena, CA, periodontal office:

• Scaling and Root Planing: Also known as deep cleaning, scaling and root planing remove plaque and tartar above and below the gum line. Your periodontist will also smooth your tooth roots, which will make it hard for bacteria to stick to them.
• Antibiotics: Antibiotics kill bacteria and may help reduce pocket size. Oral or topical antibiotics may be prescribed during your treatment.
• Flap Surgery: Flap surgery closes the pockets around teeth. Your periodontist also removes plaque and tartar along the gums during the surgery.
• Grafts: You may need to restore lost bone or gum tissue with bone or tissue grafts.
• Dental Implants: Dental implants can restore teeth lost as a result of periodontal disease. Implants are small titanium posts implanted in your jawbone that serve as replacement roots. They're connected to dental crowns, restorations that replace the top parts of teeth.

Protect your oral health with periodontal disease treatment. Contact your periodontist in Pasadena, CA, Dr. Cooper, at (626) 796-1241 to schedule your appointment.

Gum recession is aesthetically unappealing for sure but gum grafting is necessary not just to improve your smile, but because receding gums cause other issues. It causes tooth sensitivity, especially when eating or drinking cold or hot foods and beverages. Dr. Peter Cooper, of Pasadena Dental Implants, offers gum grafting treatment for his Pasadena, CA, patients.

More About Gum Grafting

Gum recession, if not treated using a gum tissue graft, can cause tooth loss.

Types of gum tissue grafts:

• Connective-tissue grafts (the most common method):

The procedure is as follows:

1. Dr. Cooper removes some skin at the roof of your mouth and tissue from under the flap.

2. Next, your periodontist stitches the tissue around the exposed root.

3. Finally, after the connective tissue (graft) has been removed, the periodontist stitches the roof of your mouth where some skin was removed.

• Free gingival grafts: This method is used for people with thin gums and, similar to the previous procedure, tissue from the roof of the mouth is also used and attached to the gum area.
   
• Pedicle grafts: With this procedure, the graft is made from gum tissue around or near the tooth that needs repair, and the person must have plenty of gum tissue near the tooth.

1. Your Pasadena periodontist cuts away only one edge so the other remains attached.

2. Next, he uses the gum tissue to cover the exposed root.

3. Finally, the tissue is sewn into place.

Post-procedural Care

Eat soft, cool foods, like ice cream and well-cooked vegetables. Avoid brushing or flossing near the surgical area and call your periodontist if you bleed and it persists even after applying pressure for 20 minutes. Also contact your periodontist if there's consistent pain, swelling, and bruising.

Have questions about gum grafting?

If you'd like to learn more about gum grafting, don't hesitate to contact Dr. Peter Cooper, of Pasadena Dental Implants, in Pasadena, CA. Just give your periodontist a call at (626) 796-1241 today!

Are you ready to fill the gaps in your smile with dental implants offered by your Pasadena, CA, periodontist, Dr. Peter Cooper? Here's what you can expect if you opt for dental implant surgery.

A pre-surgery examination

Your periodontist will perform an examination to ensure that you're a good candidate for dental implants. Fortunately, implants are an excellent choice for many people. Dental implants may be recommended if:

• You're in good health. (Implant surgery won't be a good idea if you have an immune condition or another health problem that affects healing, or if you take medications that suppress the immune system.)
• You don't smoke.
• You need to replace permanent teeth.

During the examination, your periodontist will take a look at nerve placement and the bone depth in your jawbone. If the jawbone isn't deep enough to support an implant, a bone graft to build up the bone may be needed before implant surgery can take place. In some cases, it may be possible to reposition a nerve that could interfere with the placement of your implant.

Your oral surgery appointment

Before dental implant surgery begins, you'll receive a local anesthetic to ensure that you feel no pain. During the minor oral surgical procedure, your periodontist places small posts in your jawbone to replace your missing tooth roots. The posts, called implants, are made of titanium, a lightweight metal that bonds to your bones. After the implants are in place, your periodontist will close the gum tissue around them. A temporary crown or bridge will cover the gap in your smile.

Creating your new teeth

During the next three to six months, your dental implant will slowly bond to your jawbone. Bonding time varies, but the process may take a little longer if the implant is in the upper jaw than in the lower jaw. Bonding ensures that your implants are securely rooted to your jawbone and won't budge no matter what types of foods you eat.

Once bonding is complete, screw-like connectors called abutments will be added to the tops of your dental implants and an impression of your mouth will be made. Dental laboratory technicians use the impression as a model when they create your crowns. Crowns are restorations that replace the visible parts of your missing teeth.

In a few weeks, you'll return to the Pasadena dental office to receive your permanent crowns. Once the crowns are attached to the dental implants with the abutments, you'll be able to immediately use your new teeth. (In some cases, you may receive crowns immediately after your dental implant surgery.)

Restore your smile with dental implant surgery! Call your periodontist in Pasadena, CA, Dr. Peter Cooper, at (626) 796-1241 to schedule your appointment.