While it’s impossible to plan for a dental emergency, you can prepare yourself with knowledge so that you feel empowered to handle any circumstance that might come up. When in doubt, always contact your closest emergency dental care provider to assess your situation and dictate the best course of action. Here are five of the most common dental emergencies and how to respond to each.
Loose or knocked-out teeth
Acute trauma can result in teeth that are loose or have fallen out of the mouth entirely. While teeth may not need to be fixed if children are young and the affected teeth are baby teeth, it’s still important to consult with a dentist to ensure there’s no other mouth trauma that could cause problems later.
How to respond:
- If possible, find the tooth, handle it gently by the crown, not the roots, and reinsert the tooth in the socket immediately.
- If you can’t put the tooth back, keep it moist in milk or put it in your mouth next to your teeth to allow your saliva to keep it moist.
- Locate your nearest emergency dentist, doing your best to arrive within 30 minutes of the injury. The longer a knocked-out tooth goes without treatment, the less chance it has of being saved.
Bleeding or swelling
Any bleeding or swelling in the mouth is cause for concern, especially bleeding that doesn’t stop or swelling that doesn’t resolve. While some bleeding is minor and expected, like a bit of bleeding along the gumline after your regular teeth cleaning, more extensive bleeding, like after a traumatic injury, will require your dentist’s expertise.
How to respond:
- Do your best to stop the bleeding using gauze or a clean cloth and applying pressure.
- Contact your emergency dentist and explain key details about the bleeding, including when it started, how much it’s bleeding (which can be measured by how frequently you’re replacing gauze), and if there’s associated pain or swelling. Your dentist may ask you to come in for immediate treatment or wait and assess the bleeding at home first.
Broken dental appliances
If you have tooth caps, bridges, dentures, or other dental appliances, they can be damaged just like a regular tooth. Any appliance that breaks, cracks, or comes out of the mouth will need to be assessed by a dental professional and may be considered an emergency.
How to respond:
- Gather any broken pieces of a dental appliance and keep them with you to take to the dentist.
- Call your dentist to confirm if you need to visit immediately or schedule an appointment for the next day if your appliance is broken but still functioning and not causing pain or discomfort.
Severe toothache or pain
A toothache can become more severe over time or come on suddenly. And while it may be no cause for concern, a toothache can also point to a deeper issue that might need a root canal or other procedure to correct.
How to respond:
- Contact your dentist first to confirm if you need immediate treatment. Escalating pain may indicate an infection that could prove dangerous if it spreads to the bloodstream.
- If the pain is dull, you can try at-home treatments like a saltwater rinse or an over-the-counter pain reliever.
Cracked or broken teeth
Sometimes, an act as simple as eating something hard could result in a cracked or chipped tooth. While sometimes cracks or broken teeth can cause immediate pain, there are other times when you might not even notice it’s happened. Regardless of how minor a chip or break might seem, it’s important to quickly visit an emergency dentist to try and repair the tooth.
How to respond:
- Find the tooth fragment, if possible, and quickly wrap it in a moist towel to bring it with you to the dentist.
- Call your local emergency dentist to ensure they’re open and have someone on staff to treat the injury.
The bottom line
When in doubt about any kind of dental injury, contact your local dentist during business hours or an emergency dentist after hours. A dental professional is the only one capable of diagnosing the severity of a problem and ensuring you get the care you need quickly.
