When faced with a dental emergency, you need to think fast. Your smile is on the line! The quicker you react to emergencies, the more likely you are to recover your beautiful teeth and gums.
Do you know what to do if an accident happens to your mouth? Who should you call? Have all questions answered today from your local Wharton dentist in this week’s blog post.
It hurts to chew, what should I do?
Do you have sharp pain when you chew? You might just have a cracked tooth! Before you ring the alarm, take note that this is one of the most common dental emergencies. In fact, you may have had a cracked tooth for a while but just never noticed (a hairline crack or craze lines).
The best thing that you can do for your smile at this point is to visit your dentist right away. When you visit a local dental practice, your dentist will be able to examine your mouth and teeth, focusing on the affected area. The best treatment for a cracked tooth is to place a dental crown to re-stabilize the tooth.
My tooth was knocked out, what should I do?
Sometimes a tooth may fall out due to a traumatic event. A sudden blow to the head can knock out multiple teeth.
The best way to save your natural teeth is to visit a dental office within an hour of the accident taking place. While you’re traveling to your local dental practice, be sure to follow these steps:
- Rinse the tooth in warm water, leaving any remaining soft tissue attached.
- Place the tooth back in the socket. Hold it there while quickly getting to our office.
- If you cannot replace it, put it between your cheek and gum or in a sealed container with milk or water to keep it moisturized.
I lost a dental restoration, what should I do?
In the case that you have dental work that becomes damaged, it should be considered a dental emergency. This may not be as urgent as the other dental emergencies listed above, but it’s still important to repair your lost or damaged restoration to keep your smile stable.
If you have a lost filling or crown, try to recover the lost restoration. If you can’t retrieve it, you can mold dental wax to fit in place of the dental filling. Sugar-free gum will also work. Schedule an appointment with your dentist right away to restore your smile back to normal.
Now that we’ve covered the three most common dental emergencies, hopefully you can see a common theme: you need to see an emergency dentist right away for the best recovery from emergencies!
About Our Office
Here at the office of David A. Tripulas, DDS we pride ourselves in offering superior dental care—even when you need it all of a sudden. We want you to know that we’re here for you in your times of need. In fact, we invite all our patients to add our phone number to their contacts to be prepared for any dental emergency that strikes. Feel free to call us whenever you need advice.