CREATING BEAUTIFUL SMILES WITH
Dental Emergencies
Dental emergencies can be very frightening and often painful. Prompt treatment is almost always required to calm pain and ensure that the affected teeth can survive. Teeth may become fractured by trauma, grinding, or biting on hard objects. Fillings, crowns, and other restorative devices can be damaged or fall out of the mouth completely. Pain, if left untreated may worsen, and without treatment can affect a person’s quality of life. Please call our office immediately, with any emergency concerns.
Types of dental emergency and how to deal with them
Call our office immediately if a tooth has been knocked out of the mouth. Try to retrieve the tooth, if it has fallen out on the ground, rinse it under warm water and try to replace it back in the mouth. If it cannot be done, place it into a cup of milk, saliva or water so that it does not have the chance to dry. Come to our office with the tooth as quickly and safely as possible. If the tooth and nerves have not been seriously injured, there is a chance that the tooth, if placed back into its socket may reattach to the tissues. Root canal therapy may be required if the nerves have been affected. Your dentist will assess the situation and explain the best method of treatment.
Occasionally upon chewing, a crown or filling can become loose or fall out. Usually this happens if there is some tooth decay under the crown or filling. If the restoration falls out, this can leave the ‘bare’ tooth very sensitive to temperature and pressure. If a crown has fallen out, do not replace it using glue. Please retain the crown in a paper towel or plastic bag, and call our office to make an appointment to have it reattached. If it cannot be reattached due to reshaping of the tooth beneath it, a new crown may have to be made.
If a filling falls out, please call our office to book an appointment to have it replaced. Any decay that may have caused the filling to become loose will be removed, and a new filling will be placed.
Fractures, cracks, and breaks can occur in several different forms, but are generally caused by trauma, grinding, and biting. If a tooth has been fractured or cracked it is very important to call our office to schedule an appointment to have it fixed. Fractures extending to the root of the tooth can be very painful, and it is important to prevent bacteria from entering the tooth. This can lead to infection and/or more decay. The nature of the break or fracture will limit what is required for treatment. Root canal therapy is often the most effective way to retain the tooth if it has been fractured to the root. In the case of a complete break, your dentist will usually affix the fragment back onto the tooth as a temporary measure, or in severe cases, the root of the tooth may be excised.
Dislodged or loosened teeth caused by trauma or a blow to the mouth have a possibility to be saved. Root canal therapy may not be necessary if the tooth has not been severed from the blood supply. Your dentist will reposition the tooth and add splints to stabilize it. He/she will assess if root canal therapy is necessary, and advise you of the prognosis.