It’s a good idea to know how to handle a dental emergency before you are faced with one yourself. In an effort to provide more general information about dental emergencies, here are some questions and answers that frequently come up in regards to common dental emergencies. Should a dental emergency arise in your household, please call our front office for more specific advice that is catered to your situation.
What Should I Do for Tooth Pain?
Continuous, unbearable tooth pain is a cause for concern, and you should make an appointment with our team right away. In the meantime, we recommend using a cold compress and prescription or over-the-counter pain medication to numb the pain. Rinsing your mouth with a warm saltwater solution can also help clear away bacteria and relieve some pain. There are numerous home remedies that you can try as well, such as applying a garlic paste or clove oil around the tooth. No matter what you do to alleviate your tooth pain, you will want to make an appointment with our team at some point to address the root cause of the pain.
What Should I Do if I Knock Out a Tooth?
A dislodged tooth requires immediate treatment in order to save the tooth and reattach it. After you have located the tooth, carefully rinse it off if you can and either hold it gently in its socket or submerge it in a glass of milk. If neither of these options are doable, placing the tooth in a cup of spit can keep it alive while you are heading to our practice. You only have a few hours to reattach the tooth before the nerves die and the tooth must be replaced with a dental restoration like a dental implant or a bridge, so time is of the essence when it comes to a knocked-out tooth.
Why Would I Need an Emergency Root Canal?
A root canal treatment is required when the pulp inside of a tooth becomes infected and must be removed to save the tooth. Since root canals have a reputation for being intimidating procedures, a patient may be tempted to put it off, which can result in unrelenting tooth pain and sensitivity developing. If this happens, you will no longer be able to schedule your root canal at a convenient time and instead have to come in for an emergency appointment. You can trust us when we say that root canal treatments are far less painful and scary than dealing with a severely infected tooth!
What Should I Do if a Dental Crown Breaks or Comes Off?
If you know where your dental restoration is, carefully clean it off and bring it with you to our office. Even if it is damaged and looks like it could never be repaired, it’s helpful for our team to see it anyway, and we will either repair your crown or begin making a new one. A lost dental restoration is considered a dental emergency because dental crowns protect weak and damaged teeth, and when they are removed, the tooth can become very susceptible to decay and damage. Our dentists can provide you with a temporary crown at your emergency appointment to prevent further damage from occurring.
