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When an emergency occurs, you know that it’s time to get to the emergency room or call an ambulance. But when a dental emergency occurs, do you know how to handle your situation? Far too often, people visit the emergency room or urgent care center in their neighborhood for a toothache, oral infection or sporting injury that knocked their tooth out, when they should be visiting Chittenango Family Dental for same-day treatment! Don’t wait to get your emergency treated, call our dental office today!
While all dental emergencies need to be handled by a professional, there are methods to stabilizing your condition before you get to our dental office. After you’ve made a call to our dental office and scheduled an appointment, take note of these steps to manage your emergency before you make it over. Whether you’ve just had a tooth knocked-out due to a sporting injury or you fear that your tooth is infected, always call our dental office first, then take the following steps to improve your condition.
Use dental floss to remove any food debris that may be caught in between your teeth. Take an OTC painkiller like ibuprofen or naproxen to reduce discomfort. Avoid aspirin as this can cause a burning sensation to your tooth. If an infection is present, our dental office will remove all decay and prescribe antibiotics or perform an emergency root canal.
Try to save as much of the broken tooth as possible. If the tooth is only minorly chipped and does not feel painful, you can wait until normal business hours to have it treated. However, if the tooth is cracked below the gum line, get to our dental office as soon as possible. Apply a cold compress to your face to reduce any swelling that’s present and take painkillers as needed. Our dental office can create a custom crown in as little as one hour to restore your damaged tooth.
Locate the tooth and pick it up by the crown portion only. Gently rinse any debris off of the tooth, making sure to avoid any tissue still attached. After cleaning the tooth and rinsing your mouth out with warm water, attempt to place the tooth back into its socket. If not possible, keep it in a container of milk, saline solution or saliva until you get to our dental office. If the tooth cannot be reimplanted, we’ll begin discussing your tooth replacement options.
Do you still have the restoration? If so, please rinse your mouth out with warm water and store the crown in a safe place. Contact our dental office right away to schedule an appointment so that our team can either reattach the existing restoration safely or create a brand-new one to protect the affected tooth.
By visiting our dental office once every six months and sticking to your routine oral hygiene at home, you can prevent a majority of dental emergencies. Of course, some situations require additional protection, such as using a mouthguard when playing contact sports or using a nightguard while you sleep to mitigate your teeth grinding habit. It cannot be stressed enough how effective preventive dentistry truly is at helping you save money on emergency and restorative dental costs.
Every dental emergency is unique, therefore the cost can be difficult to determine until you arrive at our dental office. Upon further examination, we’ll confirm your needs, whether it be simple antibiotics or a more complex treatment like a root canal and same-day crown. The last thing you should do is put off your treatment and allow your condition to worsen. This will only result in higher dental care costs and more discomfort, especially if you have untreated decay.
We’re excited to meet you and to help provide you and your family with a lifetime full of happy, healthy smiles.
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