Emergency Dental Care

The following are emergency dental situations which may require same day treatment:

• Possible Abscessed Tooth – extreme toothache, throbbing toothache or tooth pain that will not go away.
• Broken Tooth which is causing pain or is one or more front teeth.
• Accidental injury involving teeth, including knocked out tooth, dislodged tooth, fractured tooth, chipped or broken tooth or a split tooth.
• Crown or dental veneer broken off, if causing pain or involves front teeth.
• Dental bridge which breaks or comes out, if causing pain or involves front teeth.
• Broken partial or full denture if you are unable to wear it at all (these repairs can take a couple days, so you need to be seen as soon as possible in case it needs to go to a lab for the repair).
• Extreme swelling around teeth, gums, face, jaw or upper neck.

If your problem is not listed above, it does not mean it is not also an emergency. You should still contact us right away to determine what needs to be done to handle your dental problem.

Dental Emergency Tips:

Important Note First:

Dental problems and toothaches do not fix themselves. Instead, they typically worsen and become more serious the longer you put off treatment. So, at the first sign of trouble, even if it is off-and-on sensitivity or something looking odd, call our dentist and get it checked out. Often the services needed to fix the problem at the first sign of trouble are less extensive and less expensive – so act now if you are having any type of dental problem by scheduling an appointment with us.

Typically, taking something like Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen may help lessen the pain until you can see our dentist. Usually, if you can take it, Ibuprofen works better for dental pain than Acetaminophen. This will not help or fix the actual problem causing the pain, so you still need to contact our dentist to schedule an appointment to have the problem diagnosed and treated.

If you are experiencing tooth pain which is not subsiding with over-the-counter pain medication, is a throbbing pain or is keeping you from sleeping, you may have an abscessed tooth. This means you have a tooth which is infected, and which will only get worse until you receive dental care. You may also need to start taking antibiotics prior to your dental care, so you need to contact our dentist immediately.

There are many things that can cause sensitivity problems. If this is a new problem for you, then you should make an appointment to see our dentist to find out the cause. Do not wait too long. This could be an early indicator for decay or infection, so call to schedule an examination.

If you have an infection in or around a tooth, swelling can show in the face, jaw or neck. While a small amount of swelling may be normal with a dental infection, if the swelling is severe or extends to your jaw or neck area, this can be very serious, and you should go to the nearest emergency room first before contacting our dentist.

If the tooth appears to be fully intact (normal visible part of the tooth plus the entire root of the tooth) put the tooth in water or milk to keep it moist and get in to see our dentist right away. If you receive treatment quickly and the root is not split or broken, it is sometimes possible to replace the tooth and stabilize it, allowing it time to heal back in place.

If you hit your front teeth on something or were hit by something like a ball, bat, door, etc., it is possible for your tooth to have moved due to the force. Do not ignore this, even if it is not painful. Get in to see our dentist right away. If the root of the tooth is not split or cracked, our dentist can move it back into proper position so you can keep your tooth. The longer you wait, the more difficult this may be to fix.

If an area of your gums  around a tooth or a couple teeth is swollen, tender or painful, it could be caused by something trapped under your gums which has caused irritation, most commonly pop corn kernels. If you think this is the case, try brushing the area well with a soft bristled toothbrush, flossing the teeth and swishing either mouthwash or warm salt water in the area to try and rinse out whatever is causing the irritation. If this works, your gums will start to feel better, and the swelling will go down. If the swelling is closer to where the root tips of the tooth would be located, or there appears to be a sore or blister on the gums, this could be caused by an infected tooth, and you need to get an appointment with our dentist to check it out before it gets worse. If the swelling and discomfort is behind your last back tooth, it is possible you could have a wisdom tooth coming in: as a tooth comes in, the tissue opens a bit and can allow bacteria and food particles in, causing an isolated gum infection. You can try the same methods as described earlier to try and release whatever is causing the irritation, but in many cases, our dentist will need to clean this area out as the particles involved may be too far under the gums for you to rinse them out at home.

If the incident that chipped or broke your tooth has also caused the tooth to start hurting, contact our dentist right away for care. If the chipped or broken tooth is not causing you pain, then schedule an appointment as soon as you can, so it does not become more serious and start causing you pain. While you are waiting to see our dentist, if the remaining tooth is sensitive or sharp, you can try filling in the area or covering it with some materials you can find at the drugstore: orthodontic wax, temporary tooth filling material or denture adhesive. However, these will have to be re-applied frequently and will come off when chewing, so do make an appointment with our dentist as soon as you can.

To temporarily hold a crown or permanent bridge in place, you will need either toothpaste or denture adhesive. First try placing the crown or bridge back on the tooth or teeth a few times to make sure you know how it is supposed to sit on the tooth. Then, place some toothpaste or denture adhesive inside the crown and then place it back on the tooth and remove any excess paste or adhesive that seeps out. This may not hold when chewing, especially when eating sticky foods, but you can clean it out and redo it if it does come out. This should never be a long-term solution, just to keep it in place until you can get to our dentist.

You can purchase denture repair kits at most drug stores, or you can actually use super glue. Please make sure the glue is fully dry before placing the denture or partial back in your mouth. Either of these options should hold it together so you do not have to go without teeth until you can get in to see our dentist. You can try this for many types of breaks or cracks and even to put a tooth back into your partial or denture.