Dental emergencies are inconvenient, scary and can be painful. Speedy treatment is always recommended to alleviate pain and to ensure your teeth have the best possible outcome. Scottsdale prosthodontist Dr. Michael Bleeker explains several different types of dental emergencies, and how to best approach the reparation process.
Sometimes teeth become fractured by trauma, grinding or biting on hard objects. In other cases, fillings, crowns and other restorative restoration can be damaged or fall out completely. If you’re experiencing severe pain, make an appointment ASAP. The pain caused by a dental emergency almost always worsens without treatment, and dental issues can impact your physical health.
Kinds Of Dental Emergencies & How To Handle Them
Avulsed or Subluxed Tooth
If your tooth has been knocked clean out of your gums, don’t dawdle. It’s important to immediately go to your dental professional’s office. When you lose a permanent tooth, the tissues, nerves and blood vessels sustain serious damage -- but if the tooth can be reinserted into its socket within one hour, the tissues have a better chance of healing and supporting the tooth again. The following steps will help you determine how to get the problem solved.
Call your dental professional’s office right away.
Pick up the tooth by the crown (not the root area) and rinse it gently under warm water. DO NOT touch, scrub or clean the root.
If possible, place it back into its socket – but if you can’t, tuck it into the cheek pouch.
If the tooth cannot be placed in the mouth, place the tooth into a cup of milk, saliva or water as a last resort. When it comes to this sort of dental emergency, it’s extremely important to keep the tooth from drying out.
Get to the office, quickly and safely.
The tooth and socket will be checked out to see if your dentist can secure the missing tooth back in place. In some cases, the tooth can be replaced. Sometimes, however, root canal therapy may be in the cards for you. If the tooth is displaced in any way, try to push it back into position and get to the office ASAP.
Dislodged or Loose Teeth
When a tooth has been dislodged or loosened from its socket from decay or dental trauma, it might be possible to save it. If the tooth is still attached to the blood vessels and nerves, there’s a good chance root canal therapy will not be necessary. Call the dentist immediately -- and in the meantime, use a cold compress as well as over-the-counter medication to relieve pain. The dentist will reposition the tooth and add splints to stabilize it. If the tooth fails to heal, root canal therapy may be required.
Lost Filling or Crown
Usually, chewing food can be a primary cause for a crown or filling to come loose or fall completely out. When this happens, the affected tooth may feel extremely sensitive to any sort of pressure or temperature changes. Crowns typically loosen up when the tooth beneath it is decaying -- leading to shape changes in the tooth. Thus, the crown no longer fits.
If a crown has fallen off, arrange a dental appointment as soon as possible. Keep it in a cool, safe place; there’s a chance your Scottsdale prosthodontist can reinsert it. If the crown is outside of your mouth for a long time, the teeth may shift or sustain further damage. That’s why it’s important to treat this sort of dental emergency with care and urgency.
Can’t Access Your Dental Professional? Do This In A Dental Emergency
If your dentist can’t see you promptly during a dental emergency involving loose fillings or crowns, follow these steps:
Apply clove oil to the tooth to alleviate pain.
Clean the crown and affix it onto the tooth with temporary dental cement, which can be purchased at your local pharmacy.
DO NOT use any sort of glue to affix the crown.
The dentist will assess the crown to see if it still fits into place. If it does, it will be cleaned and recemented. If your dentist sees decay, this will be treated and a new crown will be fashioned.
Cracked or Broken Teeth: What To Do
The teeth are strong, but they’re not immune to fractures, cracks and breaks. Sometimes fractures are mostly painless, but if the crack extends down into the root, it’s likely to cause a stronger pain. Cracks and breaks are generally caused by trauma, grinding and biting. If a tooth has been fractured or cracked, the only solution is to see your dentist as quickly as possible. This dental emergency calls for expertise from Scottsdale prosthodontist Dr. Bleeker, who recommends the following at-home steps:
If a segment of tooth has been broken off, call the office.
Gently rinse the tooth fragment and your mouth with lukewarm water.
Apply gauze to the area for ten minutes if there is bleeding.
Place a cold, damp dish towel on the cheek to minimize swelling and pain.
Cover the affected area with over-the-counter dental cement if there is no way to see the dentist immediately.
Take a pain reliever.
If a fracture or crack extends into the root, root canal therapy may be the only effective way to retain the tooth. In the case of a complete break, the tooth may need to be removed.
During a dental emergency, the best thing you can do is contact Scottsdale prosthodontist Dr. Bleeker right away, and follow the above home remedies until your issue can be professionally addressed.