Emergency Dental Care

The team at our Santa Barbara dental office is trained to handle a variety of dental emergencies. Make sure to call us as soon as there’s a problem so that we can schedule an appointment and get you in as quickly as possible! Some of the common dental emergencies we treat include:

• Broken Tooth: To save your tooth, we need to treat a broken tooth right away. We’ll evaluate for decay, see if the nerve of the tooth has been compromised, and either place a temporary filling or crown. If you’re experiencing pain or swelling, a cold compress can ease the pain until you can get into our office.
• Tooth Loss: If a tooth is knocked out, we prefer to see you within an hour of trauma for the best chance of saving the tooth.
• Foreign Objects in Gums: Do you have inflamed gums? If you notice swelling around one tooth, you could have a foreign object or piece of food – stuck in your gums. We’ll gently remove it for you so you can get some relief!
• Swelling and Inflamed Gums: What if your gum swelling isn’t just in one area? This could be a sign of gum disease or another health condition. Getting a diagnosis right away is necessary to protect the health of your teeth and jawbones, as well as your overall health.
• Dental Pain: Extreme tooth pain can be caused by dental decay, an exposed nerve, or another serious dental issue. We’ll diagnose the cause of your discomfort and find an effective solution to relieve your pain as quickly as possible.
• Infection: A gum or tooth infection needs to be treated with antibiotics. Failing to do so can lead to tooth loss and other health complications due to bacteria getting into your bloodstream.
• Lost Temporary Crown: If you lose your temporary crown or it breaks, we need to replace it. If we don’t, the tooth will begin to shift and can impact whether your permanent crown fits or not.

You can’t prevent every emergency, but we would like to share some tips to help you avoid dental pain and trauma.

Dental home care is a must to reduce your risk of dental pain, decay, infection, and inflamed gums caused by gum disease. Here are some tips to practice daily for healthier teeth and gums.

• Brush twice a day
• Use an electric toothbrush
• If you can’t brush after every meal, at least rinse after eating
• Floss once a day
• Use the c-shaped flossing technique
• Rinse with an antibacterial mouthwash

Where are you most likely to get a tooth knocked out? When you’re playing contact sports. Thankfully, this is easily remedied – all you need to do is wear a sports guard whenever you play.

Our teeth are made to withstand a lot of pressure. Over time and through use though, we can end up with small cracks in our teeth. When we bite on hard, crunchy foods, those weak spots can lead to a fractured tooth.

Do your best to avoid biting into hard foods, such as hard candy. Also, avoid chewing ice as this can further weaken your teeth, causing more cracks and increasing the possibility of a break.

The bacteria in your mouth breaks down the sugars you eat. During this process, an acid is released, which can attack the teeth, leading to decay. We’re not saying that you need to eliminate sugar completely, but try to reduce your intake when you can and brush your teeth after eating sweets.

Sugary drinks, like soda and energy drinks can wreak havoc on your teeth. Limit these beverages as much as possible. Dried fruit and sticky candy can also pose problems because they get stuck in your molars and between your teeth causing accelerated decay.