Our team at Dental Care of Sumner is here for you when you need to deal with a dental emergency. It happens – whether you took a hard fall, got hit in the mouth while playing sports, or if an unhealthy tooth’s pain has worsened. We know that dealing with a dental emergency can be a scary and anxious time, so we want all of our patients to know how to proceed if an emergency comes up.
Sometimes you may not even know what you’re experiencing is a dental emergency, so we’ll explain what exactly qualifies as a dental emergency as well.
When it comes to these common problems, we want you to know that we offer real assistance both inside and outside our office.
If you have any questions, then give us a call and we’ll try to help you in the best way we can before you can make it to our office to have your tooth or teeth taken care of by our team.
What qualifies as a Dental Emergency?
So, what qualifies as a dental emergency? The more common emergencies involve a broken tooth, a knocked-out tooth, a lost crown or filling, and moderate to severe toothaches. The first step in any of these situations is to stay calm and protect whatever tooth or teeth that are injured.
A Broken Tooth
If you have a broken tooth, we would recommend that you try to save any pieces of the tooth that have broken off and rinse them in warm water. After doing so, put them in a container with milk or your saliva.
This may sound like a weird set of instructions, but trust us! Milk will prevent the pieces from drying out and helps maintain the fluid balance of the root so that your tooth remains viable. Depending on where your pieces fell. It may be a good idea to rinse the pieces with salt and water to prevent bacteria. It is more beneficial instead of just warm water.
Just make sure to quickly transfer the tooth into milk or saliva though, as water doesn’t help your teeth from drying out. If your mouth is bleeding, rinse your mouth with warm water to try to stop the bleeding. Afterward, apply pressure to the area with gauze or cloth.
A Knocker-Out Tooth
If you have a knocked-out tooth, please give us a call if possible! When handling the tooth, only hold it by the crown, not the root. It’s very easy to damage the root of a tooth, and this is something we want to avoid.
The root contains periodontal ligaments that are important for proper healing if we can reinsert the tooth. After the tooth is handled, rinse out your mouth with warm water. Then apply pressure with gauze or cloth to stop any bleeding. If you’re able to gently place the tooth back into its socket, then please do so within the first five minutes of it being knocked out.
This increases your chances to have your tooth reinserted. The chances of your tooth being reinserted drop drastically if not. If you’re unable to place the tooth back in its socket, then rinse the tooth in warm water and place it in a container of milk.
Dental Crown or Filling
Sometimes you may experience losing a dental crown or a filling, but don’t worry. It’s not as urgent for you to see us on the same day if possible but try and locate the lost filling or crown. As long as they’re still in good shape and so is your tooth.
They can be reattached at your next appointment. With fillings, please place them in a clean container once found. With dental crowns, clean them and then line the inside of the crown with toothpaste or dental adhesive.
It’s possible to place the crown back on your tooth until you can make it to your appointment. If not possible, then you can keep it safe in a container.
Toothaches and Tooth Pain
Toothaches and tooth pain may worry you if it’s moderate or severe, but we are here to help. If you have a severe toothache, please inspect the tooth and clean the area around it. Warm salt water, brushing your teeth, flossing, and rinsing with hydrogen peroxide could help.
We want to remove any food particles or other debris that could be causing irritation or inflammation. If the pain continues, then please contact us! We will help the best we can until you can make it to our office.
Emergency
While we do want you to think of us first when you are experiencing a dental emergency. And to call us so we can help, we are not always the best solution.
Always call us first, but we may tell you to go to a hospital to receive care before seeing us. In any of these scenarios with broken or knocked-out teeth.
It’s important to apply pressure to the area with trauma to stop any bleeding. If the bleeding doesn’t stop within ten minutes, then please go to the hospital to get the bleeding under control.
If you believe any injuries you have sustained that resulted in fractured or knocked-out teeth, then please call 911. Then go to the hospital closest to you. Once you’re out of the hospital, we will do the best we can to squeeze you in on the same day.
That way we can save your tooth.
Finding Healthier Habits
It’s important to our team here at Dental Care of Sumner for you to never feel alone. We see all of our patients like family. Especially during a dental emergency since it can be a stressful and worrying time. During any dental emergency, then please call us.
We will do our best in providing you with advice over the phone. To determine the best course of action and book you in as soon as possible.
Faster, better, and more comfortable care is available at Dental Care Of Sumner. We truly live up to our name with an office packed full of advanced technology and a team who is helping move dentistry into the 21st century.