What do I do if I have a dental emergency?
Accidents can happen at any time. It’s important that you know when you can take action at home or when you need to visit the dentist as soon as possible because it can mean the difference between losing or saving your tooth. Here are some helpful guidelines for what to do in different dental emergencies:
Toothache/Sore Gums
Rinse your mouth with warm water to get rid of any food or debris. If there is anything stuck between your teeth, floss to remove it. You can take an over-the-counter pain medication, but don’t apply medication directly to your teeth or gums. Schedule an appointment at West Lakes Dentistry if the pain does not go away.
Chipped Tooth
Save any of the pieces of the chipped tooth that you can and rinse them thoroughly. To prevent swelling, apply an ice pack or cold compress to the swollen lip or gum tissue near the chipped tooth. This will help prevent swelling. If the area is bleeding, apply gauze for ten minutes, or until the bleeding has stopped. Schedule an appointment at West Lakes Dentistry ASAP.
Broken Tooth
Please call our office immediately. Thanks to recent advancements in dentistry, our dentists might be able to create a dental crown that will “grab onto” the broken tooth if there is enough remaining healthy tooth structure. This is a treatment called crown lengthening, and it depends on how severe the break is. We will consider all options before resorting to removing the root.
Knocked-Out Tooth
Hold the knocked-out tooth by the top (or crown) only. Briefly, rinse it with warm water. If possible, you can try to gently reinsert it back into the socket and keep it in place by biting down on gauze or cloth. If you can’t reinsert the tooth, place it in a cup or container with mildly salty water. See Dr. Miner or Dr. Boeckermann as soon as you can. There is a higher chance of saving the tooth if it is treated within two hours.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Rinse with warm salt water and apply gauze or a moistened towel for 15 to 20 minutes to help control any bleeding. You can then apply a cold compress to the mouth to reduce swelling and stop the residual bleeding. If you are bleeding profusely or the damage looks severe, keep applying pressure and go to your nearest emergency room as soon as possible.