There Are A Few Types Of Dental Emergencies You Need To Know About

We want to make sure you are safe, taken care of, but also understand when it's not an emergency after all.

1. Tooth Knocked Out

If a tooth has been knocked clean out of the mouth, it is essential to see a dentist immediately.  

When a tooth exits the mouth, tissues, nerves, and blood vessels become damaged.  If the tooth can be placed back into its socket within an hour, there is a chance the tissues will grow to support the tooth once again.

Here are some steps to take:

  • Call our office.
  • Pick up the tooth by the crown and rinse it under warm water.  DO NOT touch the root.
  • If possible, place it back into its socket – if not tuck it into the cheek pouch.
  • If the tooth cannot be placed in the mouth, put the tooth into a cup of milk, saliva, or water (as a last resort).  It is important to keep the tooth from drying out.
  • Get to our office, quickly and safely.  We will try to replace the tooth in its natural socket.  In some cases, the tooth will reattach, but if the inner mechanisms of the teeth are seriously damaged, root canal therapy will be necessary.

2. Other Traumatic Injury

If there is some kind of trauma that you experience and it involves your teeth, call our office immediately.

In the meantime, use a cold compress and over-the-counter medications to relieve pain.  Your dentist will reposition the tooth and add splints to stabilize it.  If the tooth fails to heal, root canal therapy might be required.

3. Uncontrolled Swelling

If you are experiencing a large amount of swelling in the mouth, please contact the office as soon as possible to help stop any further progression of the swelling (infection).  

4. Uncontrolled Bleeding

If you are experiencing any uncontrolled bleeding around an area that has recently had dental work completed, please contact the office immediately.  Apply pressure to the area with gauze to help control the bleeding until you can be seen by the dentist.

5. Uncontrolled Severe Pain

If you are experiencing uncontrolled severe dental pain that can not be controlled with pain medication, please contact the office so we can assess and help manage the pain as quickly as possible.

 

Is It An Emergency?

Call us right away. If you get a voicemail, follow the instructions and we will do what it takes to make sure you are taken care of.