Emergency Dental Care: Putting Your Smile Back Together by Meredi Wagner-Hoehn

Although many people consider dentistry an annual chore or even a cosmetic frivolity, it can become imminent and necessary with the introduction of emergency dental care.

Emergency dental care can involve a knocked-out tooth, severe toothache, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder or any number of other unexpected dental pains. A toothache can mean a severe cavity which needs immediate filling. TMJD can lock your jaw indefinitely if you don’t see a TMJ dentist. Any dental condition which involves extreme pain should be professionally treated right away. An emergency dentist knows how to treat unusual emergency cases; they'll be able to treat patients efficiently and swiftly, while saving as much of the original tooth and gum structure as possible.

You can lose a tooth at any time: taking a precarious jump for that basketball point and getting knocked down, thus knocking out a tooth. Jogging the dog around Town Lake and suddenly getting jerked to the side as Spot spots a squirrel, sending you and your teeth sprawling. Simply carrying the groceries inside and stepping on a sidewalk crack can make you trip, hitting your jaw on the concrete as you attempt to catch the falling produce.

Any time you lose a tooth, if at all possible, immediately put it in a clean container with water or milk. Do not attempt to clean the tooth or put it in tissue paper; cleaning the tooth deadens the nerves, and putting it in tissue dehydrates them, minimizing the possibility of a reattachment. If you suffer any additional injuries, go directly to a hospital; a bleeding head wound, for example, might require treatment prior to a tooth reattachment. Otherwise, it’s probably safe to call your emergency dentist first and see if they can see you. A tooth reattachment should occur as swiftly as possible.

A top emergency dentist in Lakeway, TX is Dr. Robert D’Alfonso, DDS. Offering occasional post-office hour services, Dr. D’Alfonso claims numerous titles: family dentist, general dentist, cosmetic dentist, sedation dentist and implant dentist in Lakeway. All of these phrases come together to define Dr. D’Alfonso as a true dental healer, able to absolve any oral pain and reconstruct any dental destruction. Call today to schedule your initial free consultation.