How can we help you?
At Cook Family Dentistry, we feel that you deserve to be fully informed about every aspect of your treatment. That is why we always take the time necessary to answer all your questions. Whatever your question, we've got the answer!
Here are a few of the questions we hear most often, but we encourage you to contact us if yours is not shown below.
Dental Emergencies
Dental emergencies can be scary and stressful, and your first instinct may be to head to a hospital emergency room for treatment. Unfortunately, hospitals are not typically equipped to handle dental emergencies and will likely send you back to your dentist for treatment. If you're experiencing a tooth emergency, we recommend that our patients contact Cook Family Dental first to save time, stress, and money.
Your emergency dentist in Birmingham, AL, leaves time available in our schedule to accommodate emergency patients, and our friendly and helpful team can help assess your situation over the phone. In addition, we can provide guidance over the phone and help determine if you need immediate attention.
Some of the dental emergencies Dr. Cook handles are:
- A knocked-out tooth
- Broken or lost restorations like a filling or crown
- Tooth pain or discomfort
- Chipped or broken teeth
- Abscessed or infected teeth
- Cracked or broken dentures
Some of the treatment procedures that Dr. Cook may recommend are:
- Tooth-colored fillings
- Porcelain veneers or crowns
- Root canal treatment
- Tooth extractions
- Dental implants
If you or a loved one is experiencing tooth pain or an emergency, don't wait to call Cook Family Dental at (205) 564-9319 for prompt emergency dental care.
A root canal or "endodontic" treatment basically restores your painful or infected tooth back to health. Basically, a tooth is hollow, kind of like a drinking straw. Inside this hollow space (the root canal) is where the nerves, blood vessels, and other "stuff" is located. Outside of the tooth, our mouths have bacteria that naturally live there. However, if these bacteria enter the root canal either through a cavity or a crack in the tooth, the nerve can die and the tooth will require a root canal treatment.
Root Canal Process
Root canals are not painful...some patients may remember a painful tooth that needed a root canal, but the actual procedure takes the pain away. Many patients actually take a nap during the root canal! During the procedure, the tooth is numbed, any cavity is cleaned up, and access is gained to the hollow "root canal" space of the tooth. Then we thoroughly clean that hollow space, dry it, and seal it.
After a root canal, many teeth will need a full-coverage crown as soon as possible for protection against cracking, as the tooth is now more brittle and fragile than before the root canal procedure.
Please give us a call if we can be of any help!
As a patient of Cook Family and Cosmetic Dentistry, we want you to get emergency treatment when you need it. If your emergency occurs during business hours, we will do everything possible to see you the same day. After hours, you can call the regular number at our Birmingham dental office, and you will then be given a separate number to contact Dr. Cook.
We know that dental emergencies always seem to happen at the most inconvenient times, regardless of whether it’s you or your kids with the emergency. Dental emergencies are often painful, and having to wait for treatment just makes things worse.
Seek Dental Treatment As Soon As Possible
It is important to have dental emergencies treated as soon as possible, not only for your oral health but for your peace of mind. Your emergency may be as simple as a cracked crown or as complicated as a knocked-out tooth, but either way, fast treatment matters.
When you get in touch with Dr. Cook, he will evaluate your emergency to determine if you need to be seen right away or if there are steps you can take to stay comfortable until the next day. Please call our Birmingham dental office for more information.