Your Guide to Handling Common Dental Emergencies

Dental emergencies are common, ranging from a dislodged adult tooth to a broken crown. Knowing the first steps to take while on your way to the dentist can mean the difference between saving your tooth and a long haul of potentially costly dental work.

While Hiral Patel, DDS, enjoys spending time with her patients at SolidSMILES Dental in Lewisville, TX, she’d rather not spend it correcting a mishandled dental emergency. 

To keep our visits to annual cleanings and quick repairs, here are a few steps you should take in a dental emergency.

Is it an emergency?

One of the first things to do is assess whether you’re dealing with a health or dental emergency. If you or a loved one is in severe pain and the injury continues to bleed, we urge you to get to your local emergency room first. If the dental injury is a result of a blow to the head, please let caution prevail and seek emergency care—head injuries can be very serious.

Now, onto dental emergencies. As a general rule, dental emergencies are defined as injuries or pain confined to the mouth, and any bleeding is controlled. The most common reasons our patients seek emergency care are teeth that are knocked out or fractured, followed closely by damaged dental work (think fillings that come out or crowns that break).

Also, if you’re in moderate to severe pain with no plain injury, that means that something is going on inside your tooth, such as an abscess. You should get in to see us so we can help relieve your pain and clear up the infection. The same goes for your gums. 

A knockout

If your tooth or your child’s tooth has been knocked out, first, locate it. Believe it or not, that tooth is still very viable if you follow a few simple steps. You should also call us at this point to arrange to come in.

If you find the tooth, handle it only by the top portion, not the root area. If the tooth is dirty and your mouth is dirty, gently rinse each tooth with water. Don’t use any cleansers or attempt to scrub your tooth. Simply rinse both areas and avoid handling the tooth as much as possible. With the tooth and socket free from debris, try to stick the tooth back into the empty socket- it’s the best place. To keep it in place, use a compress or a moistened tea bag and bite down gently.

If the tooth doesn’t go back into the socket, place it in a jar of milk or your saliva to preserve it until you get in to see us. By “your saliva,” we mean tucking it between your cheek and gum or under your tongue, taking care not to swallow it.

If the tooth in question is one of your child’s primary teeth, we urge you to complete the steps above. Even baby teeth can be reintegrated, allowing your child’s secondary teeth to continue to develop naturally.

If you can’t find the tooth, place a compress over the socket to stem the bleeding and protect the area.

Fractures and fillings

If you’ve cracked or loosened your tooth, but it’s still in place, gently bite down on a gauze compress or a wet tea bag to prevent the tooth from moving until you see us. The same holds if it’s a crown. Anything you can do to keep the tooth in place, whether real or not, helps protect your tooth’s underlying root structure. 

If a filling has fallen out, you must prevent debris from entering the exposed hole. Rinse your mouth with water, cover the area, and avoid eating until you get to SolidSmiles Dental.

Chips and cracks

If you or a loved one has chipped or cracked a tooth, but no nerves were involved (believe us -- you’ll know when they are!), it’s generally not a same-day dental emergency. Still, call us so we can get you an appointment sooner rather than later.

If you suffer a dental emergency, call Dr. Patel (469) 993-0633 or click online to schedule a visit at SolidSmiles in Lewisville, Texas, today.