Do I have a dental emergency?
Many people don’t know what makes a dental emergency, so they just avoid visiting the dentist, which leads to more pain, and eventually, more expenses. A true dental emergency comprises dental problems that may cause you to lose your tooth, or an infection spreading throughout your mouth, even trauma affecting your airway.
Such cases involve calling your dentist and organizing a same-day appointment. Some cases may require going to the hospital. We will learn to differentiate between going to the dentist and going to the hospital for a dental emergency.
What to do with a chipped or cracked tooth
A cracked tooth is one of the most common emergencies, so you don’t need to worry. If a piece of your tooth just broke off, try to collect the pieces you can, put them in milk or saliva, and then take it to your dentist. You should call it as soon as possible to make an appointment, so the collecting will preserve the pieces until your emergency visit. If you keep bleeding, apply a layer of gauze to the wound, and apply pressure for 30 minutes until it stops.
If you had a more severe break, your repair will be more extensive because it will result in more tooth pain caused by the damaged nerves of your tooth. A root canal will have to be performed. Treatments for a chipped or broken tooth include:
- Gluing the fragment back on
- Root canal treatment where the nerves are exposed
- A filling or crown
Looking for more information on Dental Emergencies?
What to do if a tooth has been knocked out?
First, try to hold it by the crown, not the root. Do not touch the root by any means. Then, clean it if it’s dirty, with cold running water, and try to put it back into the hole in your gum, with the help of milk or saliva. If you managed to put it back, bite down gently and hold the tooth in place. If it’s your child’s tooth, simply call us as soon as possible, otherwise, they may swallow it.
When you arrive at the dentist clinic, we are to check if it’s in the right place if you successfully put it back. If you couldn’t, bring it in the solution, and we’ll clean it and put it back in its place. We will fix the tooth, and you need to come back in two weeks to have a splint removed. If your tooth was lost, we will place a false tooth.
Where to look for help with a dental emergency
You will need to go to the hospital if you require immediate dental attention for jaw dislocations or fractures, serious lacerations to your mouth, and an infection that is very swollen and affects your breathing.
You will need to go to the dentist if the situation isn’t considered life-threatening but requires care, such as a cracked tooth, a tooth knocked out by trauma, or a swelling in your gum that won’t dissipate.
What we can help with
Normally, the issues we provide care for are bleeding, pain or infections caused by:
Did you just have a Dental Emergency?
A dental emergency is a situation where you may lose teeth, suffer from an infection that spreads throughout your mouth or even trauma affecting your airway. It’s important to visit the dentist as soon as possible when experiencing any of these problems. Make sure to schedule an appointment with us today so we can help fix that problem too! We want all our patients’ smiles to look their best at all times. If you need more information, please contact us at College Gate Dental Clinic. We would love to help!
Call us, email us or visit us to discuss your treatment options, we have a wide range of dental experts which you can choose from, with over 20 years of experience, you know you are in good hands.