Prepare now for a possible dental emergency by educating yourself on what to do when one occurs. Knowing when to involve your dentist and when to handle something on your own can help you have an action plan right when an issue occurs. Some patients may find themselves with toothaches, broken or fractured teeth, a chipped tooth, unexplainable pain, knocked-out teeth (with injuries and accidents) and more. Teeth can be saved even if they are knocked out if you follow certain procedures to preserve them. Learn about what to do in a dental emergency!

What Is a Dental Emergency?

A dental emergency is a problem with your teeth that is out of the ordinary with what you experience every day. A dental emergency could be:

• A cut or bitten tongue, lip or cheek
• Broken braces and wires
• Broken tooth
• Knocked-out permanent tooth
• Broken jaw
• Bleeding that won’t stop after a tooth falls out
• Canker sores that continue to worsen
• A toothache, especially one that causes stabbing pain

You should call our office if you experience a dental emergency listed above, and we can instruct you further on what to do. If you knock out a permanent tooth, make sure to hold it ONLY by the crown of the tooth and not the root end. Rinse, but don’t clean or handle the tooth more than necessary. Either reinsert the tooth in the socket and hold it in place with gauze or cloth or carry it in a cup containing milk or water until you see us. For a dental emergency such as this, seek immediate attention. For the rest, read on.

Toothaches 101

A toothache is perhaps the most common dental emergency our patients have. Tooth decay is one of the main causes of toothaches, but there are also other reasons. With severe tooth decay, a tooth might start out as an ache and become more and more severe. You might have a cavity if you have sharp pains when eating or drinking hot or cold foods. If the pain happens only sometimes, you may simply need a toothpaste for sensitive teeth.

If you have pain in your tooth when you bite down or chew, you might have a chipped, cracked or broken tooth. The toothache will not always be constant, but you will feel a stabbing pain when biting or chewing. You want to get these types of toothaches checked out immediately to avoid losing a tooth. If you have a dull toothache and it’s daily, you might have a jaw disorder such as TMJ or you grind or clench your teeth at night. We can remedy these problems with a mouthguard or a bite guard.

If you do have a toothache, clean around the sore tooth meticulously. Using warm salt water, rinse the mouth to displace any food trapped between teeth. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you use aspirin on an aching tooth. Online sources may tell you to do this, but aspirin coming in contact with your gums can burn them immediately. Use a temporary over-the-counter pain reliever and a cold compress and call our office right away.

What about Tooth Sensitivity?

Tooth sensitivity commonly happens during the wintertime with many patients. This is because the air becomes much colder and drier. That dryness is even intensified with running heaters in homes and cars that dry out your environment even further. Winter is also a time when many patients drink hot beverages, which can cause tooth sensitivity. Each tooth has a soft, pulpy center that houses nerves and blood vessels. These can be sensitive to heat or cold and can cause you tooth sensitivity when drinking. You may also have an exposed tooth root that is just barely showing at your gum line. These conditions can lead to winter tooth sensitivity, which is easy to fix by diverting air away from your face, using sensitivity toothpastes, and reducing the hot beverages.

Other Emergencies

If your child has an orthodontic appliance such as metal, lingual or ceramic braces, you may need to seek an orthodontist for your dental emergency. Brackets and bands can easily break if patients each certain prohibited foods or if they pick at their braces. A wire could become loose, cutting the inside of your cheek or your gum. If either of these situations happen, seek out your orthodontist right away. It’s also common for patients to have lip and cheek sores. Simply use the wax you received when you got braces to cover up the bracket or wire that is bothering you.

Knowledge Is Key

When it comes to having a dental emergency, knowledge is key to avoiding a larger problem. If you feel a toothache coming on for no apparent reason, keep an eye on it. If your toothache worsens, call our office right away. If you sustain an injury in sports or physical activity and have hurt your teeth, call us right away and seek proper treatment if a doctor is also needed. Follow our guidelines for the most common dental emergencies and you can save your teeth and avoid further pain and complications. If you want to know more about what to do in the case of a dental emergency, call Mountain Aire Dentistry today at (303) 731-7755!