Chances are, at some point, you will be exposed to some form of oral trauma with one of your children and will need to know the common protocol for dental emergencies.   Any dental injury, even a minor one, requires examination by a dentist immediately.  Sometimes, neighboring teeth suffer an additional, unnoticed injury that will only be detected by a thorough dental exam. Being prepared when an oral tooth trauma occurs can keep you level-headed, calm and ready to act. When dental emergencies occur, call our office at (303) 731-7755 and we can help talk you through what is going on.  If you are unable to reach us, refer to the following tips and guidelines on what to do during a dental emergency.

Dental Emergencies: Common Situations and Instructions

• Toothache.  Toothaches are one of the most common dental emergencies parents/patients face. Toothache-related pain can range from moderate to severe.  The action plan for a toothache often depends on if the pain is persistent and if you know what is causing the pain. Erupting teeth will often cause toothaches, but do not require an office visit and can usually be treated with over-the-counter pain relievers. (Talk to Dr. Bockrath about dosages and instructions).  Toothaches related to broken teeth, tooth decay or tooth trauma DO need to be evaluated by Dr. Bockrath.  What to do: 1) Clean the painful area with warm water; 2) avoid applying heat to the tooth or the area around the tooth; 3) Look to see if any food has gotten trapped and remove it with floss, a proxy brush, or a toothbrush if you can see it; 4) Apply an icepack to the aching area to help reduce swelling and pain; 5) Contact our office.

• Knocked out permanent tooth.  If you or your child has a tooth knocked out, you should report this injury immediately, even if it is a baby tooth. Neighboring teeth could have sustained injuries and you want to make sure no damage was inflicted on the roots of permanent teeth. Certain injuries will allow for reimplantation of a lost permanent tooth, but time is critical for this to occur successfully. What to do: 1) Locate the lost tooth.  Try not to touch the roots, only touch the crown of the tooth; 2) Without scrubbing or scraping,  carefully clean the tooth with water; 3) You can reinsert the tooth back into its original location using gentle force or have them keep the tooth in their mouth against their cheek while you travel to our Mountain Aire Dentistry office–only attempt this with older children. Younger children run the risk of swallowing the tooth.  With younger children, you can place the tooth in milk or saliva until you reach our office. 4) Keep the tooth moist while you are in route to our office. Moisture is key for re-implantation success; 5) If it is after hours and you are unable to contact a member of our Mountain Aire Dentistry team, do not wait.  Take your child to the emergency room to save the tooth.  The chances of re-implantation success will greatly diminish after one hour.

• Knocked Out Baby Tooth.  Contact Dr. Bockrath during business hours. Chances are this is not a true emergency and no treatment will be necessary, however, call our office for a consult.

• Tooth displacement.  A displaced tooth is one that has been hit with enough force become loose but has not been knocked out completely.  A displaced tooth may be partly removed from its socket and needs to be treated with care. How you treat this situation depends on if the tooth was a permanent tooth or a primary tooth.  Primary teeth tend to heal on their own or will just fall out in time without medical intervention.  Permanent teeth will need attention–even if they have only been displaced slightly–to make sure the tooth doesn’t get infected and to ensure the tooth isn’t in danger of dying.

• Broken tooth.  Contact Dr. Bockrath immediately if you break a tooth.  Dental emergencies, like a knocked out tooth, require your quick action to determine if you save or lose this tooth and can help you avoid infection and more invasive dental treatment.  What to do:  1) Rinse the mouth with water and apply a cold compresses to help reduce swelling; 2)  Locate and save any broken tooth fragments and bring them with you to our office.

• Root fracture.  Root fractures are tricky injuries because the injury is usually undetectable without a dental x-ray.  A root fracture occurs from direct trauma to the tooth.  It is always better to rule out a root fracture if you have any concerns that one might be present.  Ignoring a root fracture can cause you to lose the tooth.  Dr. Bockrath can confirm a root fracture with dental x-rays.  If he finds that a root fracture is present, treatment will depend on the positioning of the fracture and how much pain you are in.   The tooth will be monitored, treated, or extracted–as a worst case scenario. What to do: 1) Place a cold compress on the area of discomfort/injury; 2) Administer dentist-approved pain relief; and 3) Contact us for further instructions.

• Dental concussion. A tooth that has received a good hit, but has not been displaced or knocked out is called “concussed.” Dental concussion injuries are very common in toddlers who tend to fall more often/easily.  Dental concussion can cause permanent or temporary tooth discoloration depending on the severity of the concussion.  If you notice the tooth darkening in color it is usually an indication that the tooth is dying and that it may need root canal therapy. Most dental concussion injuries are not true dental emergencies and do not require emergency treatment, but should be reported to our Mountain Aire Dentistry office.

• Tongue, Lip, or Mouth Laceration (cut).  The soft tissue of the lips and tongue make injury to those areas quite common. If you suffer an injury to your tongue, mouth or lip, don’t panic.  Assess for the seriousness of the laceration. To do this, you will need to get a good look at the cut.  What to do: 1) clean the injured surfaces with mild soapy water and a soft, clean cloth. (To clean cuts inside the mouth, rinse with salt water); 2) If your lip is discolored or swollen, apply a cold compress.  If bleeding is present, apply pressure with a clean cloth for at least five minutes.  Applying ce can help reduce pain, swelling, and bleeding.  Wrap crushed ice in clean gauze/cloth and hold it to the affected area.  Seek immediate care if: 1) Bleeding cannot be controlled with pressure and a cold compress; 2) You have a deep cut that crosses the border between the lip and facial skin; 3) The lip is punctured; 4) If an infection develops after an injury.

Schedule an Emergency Dental Care Appointment

If you would like to know more about the protocol for dental emergencies or any of our other services, or to make an appointment, call (303) 731-7755. Remember, it is always better to weight on the side of caution than to ignore something that develops into something serious. Ask questions!  Injuries to the mouth can be scary.  We are here to help you!