Root Canal Therapy for Rockledge Patients
October 13, 2013
When a patient experiences pain or sensitivity in a tooth because of an infection or an injury, a root canal may be needed to relieve symptoms and restore oral health. During a root canal, Dr. Jeff Nichols of Premier Walk-In Dental will remove the infected tissue from inside your tooth, then fill it with a safe substance and cap it with a crown. Not only will this relieve painful symptoms, it will also prevent the need for a tooth extraction.
Even though your tooth may no longer have a nerve at its center, the structural integrity of your smile is preserved. However, when a tooth is removed, so is the root that anchored it to your jaw. With that root missing, the jaw will begin to weaken and nearby teeth may shift out of place to make up for the gap your smile now has. Over time, other teeth may be lost as a result. With a root canal, the goal is to treat the symptoms of infection and prevent these kinds of changes from happening in the future.
How do you know if you need a root canal? Consider these symptoms:
- Sensitivity to hot or cold foods and beverages
- Pain when biting down
- Sensitivity to pressure
- Difficulty sleeping because of tooth pain
- A pimple-like sore on the gum
- Pain in other areas of your mouth, head, or neck
- Facial swelling
To receive treatment for an infected or injured tooth, call or visit Premier Walk-In Dental. We offer root canal therapy to patients from Cocoa, Satellite Beach, Merritt Island, Viera, Suntree, Melbourne, and Palm Bay, Florida.
Tooth Extractions for Rockledge and Beyond
September 13, 2013
In our last post, we talked about cavities and the service Dr. Jeff Nichols offers to treat them—tooth-colored fillings. But sometimes a tooth is too decayed or damaged to be treated. In those cases, what you might need is a tooth extraction.
With a walk-in tooth extraction from Premier Walk-In Dental, we can relieve you of the painful symptoms of an abscess or infection, or remove a severely damaged or decayed tooth and replace it with a crown.
As intimidating as a tooth extraction might sound, many extractions are simple. Thanks to local anesthetic and Dr. Nichols’ years of experience, you can look forward to a comfortable and quick procedure that gives you the important help you need.
Another case in which a tooth extraction might be necessary is wisdom tooth removal. It’s advisable that patients have their wisdom teeth removed to prevent pain, impaction, misalignment, and infection.
Caring for Your Smile after an Extraction
Following your walk-in tooth extraction, it’s important to keep these tips in mind:
- Change gauze regularly for the first 24 hours following your visit
- Elevate your head to stop bleeding
- Apply an ice pack for the first 24 hours to lessen swelling
- Avoid sucking on a straw or smoking cigarette for a few days
- Don’t rinse your mouth for the first 24 hours
Do you need help with a tooth-extraction? Call or visit Premier Walk-In Dental in Rockledge today. We serve patients from Cocoa, Satellite Beach, Merritt Island, Viera, Suntree, Melbourne, and Palm Bay, Florida.
Treating Cavities with Tooth-Colored Fillings
August 13, 2013
At some point, nearly everyone will get a cavity. When that happens, we hope you’ll turn to Dr. Jeff Nichols and his team at Premier Walk-In Dental for help. At our Rockledge dental office, we offer tooth-colored fillings to help patients treat decay discreetly.
For many years, amalgam fillings were the treatment of choice by dentists. But today, dentist like Dr. Jeff Nichols are more likely to offer tooth-colored fillings, in part because of how well they blend in with the color of teeth.
However, there are other reasons that dentist are offering tooth-colored fillings over amalgam fillings. First, amalgam fillings are made of metal, which expands and contracts, causing cracks or leaks and putting the patient at risk of bacterial reinvasion. Second, amalgam fillings often contain a small amount of mercury—not enough to be harmful, but it’s there nonetheless.
Tooth-colored fillings, by comparison, don’t contain mercury and, in fact, aren’t made of metal at all. That also means they won’t expand or contract. As a result, they’re more supportive of the tooth’s natural structure, which means you get to keep more of your natural smile.
Do you need help treating a cavity with a tooth-colored filling? Call or visit Premier Walk-In Dental in Rockledge today. We serve patients from Cocoa, Satellite Beach, Merritt Island, Viera, Suntree, Melbourne, and Palm Bay, Florida.
