How to Handle Common Dental Emergencies

A dental emergency is any situation in which a person is experiencing severe oral pain and/or has extensively damaged one or more of their teeth. While there are many types of dental emergencies, the first thing you should do remains the same: call Bridlewood Dental of Flower Mound. We’ll schedule you for an appointment right away and walk you through helpful first-aid tips. Before you can reach our dental office, here are a few ways you can reduce your discomfort and give us the best chance of saving a distressed tooth:

Toothaches

Start by thoroughly rinsing around the tooth to remove all food debris that might be stuck. Go ahead and take an OTC pain-reliever like ibuprofen, and a cold compress on the cheek can help as well. Do NOT put an aspirin directly on the gums, as this can actually cause additional damage and discomfort in the area.

Learn About Root Canals

Chipped/Broken Tooth

Use a clean rag, towel, or napkin to apply slight pressure to the area, which should stop any bleeding. If it continues for more than 10 minutes, head straight to your local emergency room. Try to gather as many pieces of the tooth/teeth you can find and put them in a safe container. Cover the remaining tooth with sugarless gum to prevent further injury to the mouth.

Learn About Tooth Extractions

Knocked-Out Tooth

Pick up the tooth while ONLY touching the crown (top part) and give it a gentle rinse. Do NOT wash, scrub, or dry the tooth. Place it back into its socket if you can, but if this isn’t possible, put it under the tongue. This will help preserve the tooth until we can see you. We have the best chance of replanting it within an hour or so of the accident, so be sure to come see us quickly!

Lost Filling/Crown

Place the restoration back onto the tooth, but if it keeps falling out, a small dab of toothpaste should help keep it steady. This is only a temporary fix, and you should contact us to get a complete repair. If the restoration is completely lost, be careful to not chew with that part of your mouth, and frequently rinse with water to remove food debris.

How to Prevent Dental Emergencies

A few simple habits will ensure you don’t have to make a sudden, unexpected trip to the dentist:

• Brushing and flossing every day is the best way to keep your teeth strong and resistant to breakage.
• Your teeth are strong, but not invincible! Don’t wear them down by chewing on hard items like ice, popcorn kernels, pens, pencils, fingernails, etc.
• Save your teeth and always use scissors to open packages or bottles.
• Don’t forget to wear a mouthguard every time you play sports.

The Cost of Treating Dental Emergencies

We can only determine the cost of treating your dental emergency once we see you in person, as there are many kinds of problems that come in varying severities. Our first priority will be to stop your pain, and then we can discuss ways to repair your smile. We’re happy to accept many PPO dental insurance plans and offer low-to-no interest financing so this type of care is easily affordable for every patient.

What if I Do Nothing?

It’s never a good idea to ignore any kind of potential emergency even if you don’t experience any pain. Here are just a few possible consequences of ignoring specific oral health issues.

• Cracked Teeth: Continuing to bite and chew with a damaged tooth could injure it further. Also, depending on how deep the crack was, the pulp beneath the protective enamel layer could now be in danger of a bacterial infection.
• Lost Tooth: You’ll lose your chance to have your tooth replanted if you don’t act right away. Your other teeth could gradually drift into the now empty space, leading to bite problems.
• Toothache: Ignoring any kind of persistent oral pain is never a good idea. Tooth infections do not get better on their own, and at some point they could spread. You’ll most likely lose the tooth as well.
• Lost Restorations: Your weakened tooth will remain exposed and vulnerable without a filling or crown to protect it.

Will I Need to Call the Emergency Room?

Emergency rooms are not equipped to treat damage to the teeth themselves, and they’re unlikely to have a dental specialist on hand. Thus, for most dental emergencies, you’ll stand a better chance of getting the care you need by visiting Dr. Song and the rest of our knowledgeable team. In the case of an infection, the doctors at the emergency room might write you a prescription, but that will rarely be enough to solve the problem and will likely be very costly. Generally speaking, you’ll save money and receive better treatment by visiting an emergency dental office first.

There are, however, situations where we recommend calling an emergency room, such as:

• An injury or accident that has caused your jaw to become dislocated or fractured
• Excessive bleeding that doesn’t stop even after gauze is applied
• Swelling that stops you from breathing or swallowing easily
• Any other issue that could become life-threatening without immediate attention

Emergency Dentistry for Children

Not even the youngest children are safe from dental emergencies. Broken or infected baby teeth still need to be examined and treated; if we don’t, your child will continue to experience pain, and their adult teeth might not develop correctly in the future. Also, while baby teeth are meant to fall out naturally at some point, you should still get in touch with us if one is lost due to physical trauma of some kind. Depending on when the tooth was lost, we may need to take steps to ensure that there’s still plenty of space for the adult tooth when it’s eventually ready to erupt.

You’ll need to help your child protect their teeth until their appointment. Ask them to describe any pain they might be experiencing as well as other symptoms that might not be obvious with a visual examination (such as a persistent bad taste).

How Do I Know I Have a True Dental Emergency?

All potential dental problems need to be taken seriously, but it’s especially important to recognize the situations where a same-day appointment is required. For example, if you only have a small chip or crack in your tooth that doesn’t hurt, you can wait until regular dental office hours begin; on the other hand, large cracks and significant pain need to be addressed right away.

Some toothaches are simply the result of something caught between your teeth and can be resolved by flossing or rinsing. If that doesn’t help, monitor the pain closely; make an appointment with Dr. Song if the discomfort doesn’t go away after two days.

Here are other symptoms that point toward needing urgent care:

• Teeth that have suddenly become loose and wiggly
• Gums that are bleeding, aching, and/or swollen
• Severe, persistent oral pain of any kind
• Any situation where the teeth are lost or damaged
• A bad taste in your mouth

What Can Cause a Dental Emergency?

Even though a dental emergency could happen at any time, some activities carry a higher risk than others. By far the most common reason for damaged teeth in adults is playing sports of any kind. This isn’t limited to organized games; even if you’re just playing basketball with your kids in the backyard, a sudden accident could damage or knock out a tooth.

Dental damage can also be an unfortunate side effect of a car accident, especially if you end up hitting your mouth on the steering wheel. Of course, in this sort of situation, you should be checked for physical injuries at the emergency room before you start seeking dental care.

Poor oral hygiene might not have immediate consequences, but eventually plaque and tartar that was allowed to accumulate inside your mouth will eat through the enamel protecting your teeth, leading to a painful infection and potentially leading to tooth loss.

Creating a Dental Emergency Kit

When the worst happens, it’s a good idea to have all the tools you need to address a dental emergency ready ahead of time. To build a dental emergency kit, make sure you include the following items:

• Cotton balls and gauze to control any bleeding that occurs
• Dental floss for removing stuck objects in your mouth
• Latex or vinyl gloves for helping your children or anyone besides yourself
• Dental wax for covering the sharp edges of a broken tooth or dental restoration
• Temporary filling material in case a filling is lost
• Dental cement that can temporarily reattach a lost crown
• OTC pain medications
• A cold compress for controlling any swelling that might occur
• A small container for holding broken restorations or pieces of a tooth
• Alcohol wipes that can help with cleaning and disinfection
• A dental mirror to give you a clearer view of what the inside of your mouth looks like

Need Urgent Care? Call Us Right Now!

Keep our phone number at hand so that you can call our dental office as soon as you can. Waiting too long to call for help can easily lead to devastating consequences for your mouth and your overall health; on the other hand, acting quickly will help you find relief and keep your smile intact. Make an appointment with us as soon as you can so that Dr. Song can find the underlying cause of your pain and relieve it.