As all dentists know, many patients put off care "until it hurts" which we understand as the development of an acute infection. Treatment of these dental emergencies can be difficult due to ineffective local anesthetic response, the severity of the infection and the patient's severe pain. However turning this into a positive experience for the patient can lead to a valued and long term doctor/patient relationship. This CE webinar will discuss and present specific case examples of dental infections. With this information the dentist can determine which ones can be treated in the office, which cases need initial medical (antibiotic management) and which ones require urgent referral to the emergency department or specialist.

Following completion of this CE webinar, the practitioner will be able to:
• Differentiate between mild, moderate and severe infections to determine appropriate immediate triage of the patient (telephone and office evaluation screening)
• Understand the issues of why local anesthetics are less effective in sites of infection
• Choose local anesthetic formulations and techniques to improve outcomes in cases of acute infection   ( disclaimer, bio and commercial disclosure )