Dental emergencies can be considered serious and should not be ignored. Ignoring a dental problem can increase your risk of permanent damage and the need for more extensive and expensive treatment later. Prevent complications by visiting the dentist as soon as possible.
Dental emergencies can vary in how time-sensitive they are, but all require urgent diagnosis and treatment. We regularly treat problems such as toothaches, chipped/broken teeth, knocked out teeth, lost fillings, lost crowns, broken braces/wires, abscesses and soft tissue injuries.
Toothaches: Rinse your mouth with warm water and use floss to remove any food particles compacted around the area. If you notice a swelling, use an icepack on the outside of your cheek. Seek dental help immediately.
Chipped or broken teeth: Save any and all pieces. Rinse your mouth with warm water. If there is any bleeding, bite on some gauze for 10 minutes or until the bleeding ceases. Apply an icepack to the outside of your mouth near the broken tooth to keep the swelling down and to relieve pain. See your dentist as soon as possible.
Knocked out teeth: Retrieve the tooth, hold it by the crown (do not touch the root portion), rinse off the tooth root with room temperature water. Do not scrub the tooth or detach any tissue fragments. If possible, try and put the tooth back in place. If not, keep it in a small container of milk (or a cup of water that contains a pinch of table salt, if milk is not available). And see your dentist as soon as possible. Teeth are more likely to be saved if you can get to the dentist within an hour of the injury.
Lost filling: Temporarily push a piece of sugarless gum into the cavity. Do not use sugared gum, as it will likely cause pain. You can also buy over-the-counter dental cement for this purpose. Seek dental help as soon as possible.
Lost crown: Seek a dentist immediately and bring the detached crown to the appointment if possible. If you are unable to see a dentist right away and the tooth is causing you pain, use a clean Q-Tip to apply clove oil to the sensitive area.
Abscess: Abscesses are infections around teeth roots or between teeth and gums. Abscesses are serious infections that can harm the tissue and surrounding teeth, with the possibility of the infection spreading to other parts of the body if left untreated. See your dentist as soon as possible if you find a painful pimple-like mound on your gum. In the meantime, to ease the pain and draw the pus to the surface, try a salt water rinse several times a day.
Soft tissue injuries: Injuries to your tongue, cheeks, gums and lips can cause bleeding. To reduce bleeding, rinse your mouth with salt water, use a wet gauze/tea bag to apply pressure to the trauma for 15 mins and use an icepack on the outside of the cheek for 10 minutes. If the bleeding does not cease, seek dental emergency help immediately. Keep pressure on the wound until you have been treated.
Broken braces and wires: If you have broken braces and a wire breaks or protrudes out of a bracket and is poking your cheek, tongue, or gum, use the eraser end of a pencil to push the wire into a better position. If you are unable to move the wire, cover the end with orthodontic wax, a cotton ball, or gauze until you can get to see your dentist.
Preventative dentistry pays off in the long run. But sometimes accidents happen. Contact us if you are having a dental emergency. We will make every effort to get you into our office as soon as possible.