Accidents can happen, including dental accidents, and they shouldn’t be ignored. Knowing what to do when an accident happens and getting dental care as quickly as possible can make the difference in saving or losing a tooth.
Dental Emergency Tips
The following are some tips on how to handle a dental emergency until you can get to our office:
Tooth knocked out
Call us immediately! Locate the tooth and pick it up by the top, not touching the roots. If the tooth is dirty, rinse it with water, do not remove any fragments of tissue and do not scrub it. Insert it in the socket if possible and hold it there. If it cannot be inserted in the socket, put it in some milk and get to the dentist as soon as possible. If milk is not available, a saline solution like the kind used for contact lenses will work.
Broken tooth
Call us immediately! Rinse your mouth with warm water. Take ibuprofen, not aspirin, for pain. Use a cold compress for swelling. If you feel your jaw may be broken, go to the hospital emergency room immediately.
Object stuck between teeth
Try to dislodge the object with floss or an interdental brush. Call us if you are not able to dislodge the object.
Soft tissue injury (lips, cheeks, gums)
Rinse with salt water, then apply pressure with soft gauze for 15-20 minutes on the sight of bleeding. Use a cold compress on the outside for 5-10 minutes. If bleeding doesn’t stop, go to the emergency room.
Partially dislodged tooth
Call us immediately! Try to gently push the tooth back into position with your finger, bite down to hold it in place until you can get to our office.
Toothache
Brush your teeth, rinse with warm water and floss or use an interdental brush. Call us if the pain doesn’t stop.