Emergency Dentistry

What is a dental emergency?

There are various dental emergencies, including sudden and severe toothache, a chipped or cracked tooth due to an accident, a damaged or loose restoration, or a lost or damaged tooth. To determine if your situation is an emergency, ask yourself the following questions: 

• Are you in severe pain or experiencing severe swelling?
• Do you have a painful toothache that will not subside?
• Do you have a loose or knocked-out tooth?
• Do you have swelling in your cheeks or face combined with a toothache?
• Are you experiencing extreme tooth sensitivity?
• Are you bleeding from the mouth that will not stop?
• Is your jaw injured?

Any dental problem requiring immediate treatment to stop bleeding, alleviate severe pain, or save a tooth is considered an emergency. This also includes severe infections that can be life-threatening and require professional care as soon as possible.

What’s the best way to handle a dental emergency?

If you are experiencing a dental emergency, the best action is to contact your dentist. However, you should visit the nearest emergency room if the situation is severe or outside regular office hours.  

There are some things you can do to help alleviate the pain and discomfort while waiting for treatment:

• Dissolve a teaspoon of salt into a mug of warm water and use it as a mouthwash
• Try flossing to eliminate any gum pressure
• Use a cold compress on the swelling or painful area
• Rinse with diluted Hydrogen Peroxide to kill bacteria
• Take over-the-counter pain medication to alleviate pain

What should I do if I have a knocked out tooth?

Do not touch the roots or top of the tooth as they are delicate. Only handle the tooth by the sides and chewing surface. Gently clean the tooth with water or milk, but do not try to rub, scrub, dry off, or use soaps or chemicals to clean it.

If possible, try to put the tooth back in the socket, handling only the sides and bottom. Softly bite to keep it in place, ensuring it is appropriately oriented and not backward. Do not force it if it won’t fit properly. 

If you cannot put the tooth back, keep it moist by soaking it in a glass of milk or holding it between your gums and cheek. Do not use tap water to soak a knocked-out tooth, as it could damage the roots. Soaking the tooth in saliva is the next best option if you don’t have milk.

It is critical to call your dentist and get to them as quickly as possible. It is possible to reattach a tooth an hour or more after it has been knocked out, but the sooner you can see a dentist, the better the chances are of reattaching it.