If you ever experience a dental emergency, we ask that you call our office as soon as possible. It is very important that you receive treatment within an hour of the injury or trauma, but if you cannot get a hold of your dentist, please go to the hospital or the closest Urgent Care. Until you see a dental or medical professional, we strongly recommend doing the following things if you can:
• Knocked-out Tooth: If you have knocked out your tooth, please retrieve the tooth, hold it by the crown, and wash it with water—please do not scrub it. If you can, put the tooth back into place without forcing it. Make sure to put the tooth back into place with it facing the right way. If that is not possible, keep the tooth in a cup of milk or a cup of water with a pinch of table salt.
• Chipped or Broken Tooth: If you have broken or chipped your tooth, save as many pieces as you can. If the pieces are dirty, you can wash them with warm water. If you are bleeding or if there is swelling, place an ice pack outside the injured area and take over-the-counter pain medication.
• Extruded Tooth: There is not much you can do with an extruded tooth other than see your dentist as soon as possible. Until you see your dental professional, ice the area to reduce swelling and take an over-the-counter pain medication to relieve pain.
• Toothache: If you have an excruciating toothache, thoroughly rinse your mouth with warm water. After you rinse your mouth, floss between each tooth and free any excess food that may be stuck. If this doesn’t relieve your pain, you might have a decayed tooth. To reduce pain until you see your dentist, take over-the-counter pain medication and ice the sensitive area. Do not put the pain medication directly on or around the gums near the aching area.
• Lost Filling: If you have lost a filling, you can fill the hole with a sugarless piece of gum as a temporary measure. If you can, you can otherwise fill the hole with over-the-counter dental cement.
• Lost Crown: If your crown has fallen off of your tooth, please try and save the crown and bring it into the office with you during your emergency appointment. If your tooth is sensitive, you can place clove oil over it to relieve the discomfort you feel. As a temporary solution, you can paint the inside of the crown with toothpaste or over-the-counter dental cement and you can slip it back over the tooth. Please do not use super glue.
If you have any questions, or if you would like to learn more, please call our office now. We are happy to help you in any way we can!