Emergency Dental Care

General dentists are trained rigorously to effectively handle emergency situations. Some of the commonly encountered dental emergencies are knocked off teeth, chipped teeth, inflamed soft tissues of the mouth, failed restorations, etc. During such incidents, patients tend to panic and lose it altogether. This can make the condition worse as you wouldn't concentrate on getting the required first aid at the right time. Here are some of the common dental emergencies and how you should ideally handle them.

Knocked off tooth

Patients who take a hard blow to the mouth, especially while playing sports or due to a bad fall, could get their tooth knocked off. This condition can be very painful and result in excessive bleeding. If you happen to sustain a knocked off tooth, take a moment to come out of the shock. Rinse your mouth with clean water and use a piece of gauze to control the bleeding by applying pressure near the site of bleeding. Find the tooth and only hold it near the crown and not closer to the root as this can infect it. Try to store it in a glass of milk and take it along while visiting a dentist.

Chipped or cracked tooth

When a tooth ends up getting chipped or cracked, it could send a sudden rush of pain through your mouth. More importantly, the pulp within the root canal could get infected by the microbes in the mouth, which leads to a root canal infection. Hence, getting immediate assistance from a dentist is very important. Use a clean piece of gauze to stop the bleeding. Also, avoid touching the tooth with bare hands as the microbes could land on the tooth and cause infection.

Injured soft tissues

Injury to the soft tissues of the mouth could occur when the patient has a bad fall, bites their tongue or lips while chewing food, or when they have dental braces. This can cause extreme pain and bleeding and make it very difficult to consume food. Try to control the bleeding using a piece of gauze and by applying pressure on the affected region. Visit a dentist at the earliest so that they can prescribe pain-relieving medication and treat the wound.

Failed restorations

When your restoration falls off, cracks or breaks, it is highly important to get it replaced at the earliest. Failing to do so could lead to infection or even the failure of the tooth. We would assess the condition and suggest how best to go about replacing it.

Call us at (408) 893-2348 when you have a dental emergency and we’ll be able to guide you further and offer assistance.