What is a Emergency Dentistry?

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Emergency dentistry is the branch of dentistry that deals with oral health problems that require immediate attention. Our emergency procedures include treating toothaches, broken teeth, jaw injuries, and bleeding or swelling in the gums.

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What is considered a dental emergency?

Examples of dental emergencies include:

• Severe toothache.

• Badly cracked tooth.

• Knocked-out tooth.

• Extruded (partially dislodged) tooth.

• Dental abscess (swelling of your face and jaw).

• Lost or broken dental restoration.

• Severe soft tissue injury (like a busted lip or deep cut).

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Here’s how you can manage each of these dental emergencies until you see your dentist:

Severe toothache

First, thoroughly rinse your mouth with warm water. Use dental floss to remove any lodged food. If your mouth is swollen, apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth or cheek. Take over-the-counter pain relievers, such as acetaminophen, naproxen or ibuprofen. (Never put aspirin or any other painkillers against your gums or tooth because it may burn your gum tissue.) See your dentist as soon as possible.

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Badly cracked tooth

Save and rinse any broken pieces of your tooth. Rinse your mouth with warm water. If there’s bleeding, apply a piece of gauze to the area for about 10 minutes or until the bleeding stops. Apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth, cheek or lip near your broken/chipped tooth to relieve pain and keep any swelling down. See your dentist as soon as possible.

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Knocked-out tooth

Retrieve the tooth, hold it by the crown (the part that’s usually visible above your gums) and rinse off the tooth root with water. Don’t scrub it or remove any attached tissue fragments. If possible, try to put your tooth back in its socket. Make sure it’s facing the right way. Never force it into place. If it’s not possible to reinsert your tooth in its socket, put your tooth in a small container of milk (or a cup of water that contains a pinch of table salt, if milk isn’t available) or a product containing cell growth medium, such as Save-a-Tooth®. In all cases, see your dentist as quickly as possible. Your dentist has the best chance of saving a knocked-out tooth when it’s returned to its socket within one hour.

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Extruded (partially dislodged) tooth

See your dentist right away. Until you reach your dentist’s office, to relieve pain, apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth or cheek in the affected area. Take an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as acetaminophen, naproxen or ibuprofen if needed.

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Dental abscess

Abscesses are swollen areas or pimple-like infections that occur around the root of a tooth or in the space between your teeth and gums. An abscess is a serious condition that can damage tissue and surrounding teeth. Left untreated, the infection could cause swelling of your face or jaw, or possibly spread to other parts of your body. If you have a dental abscess, you should see your dentist as soon as possible. In the meantime, to ease the pain and draw the pus toward the surface, try rinsing your mouth with a mild salt-water solution (1/2 teaspoon of table salt in 8 ounces of water) several times a day.

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Lost or broken dental restoration

Sometimes, old dental restorations can fall out or become dislodged. If you have a broken or missing filling, stick a piece of sugarless gum into the cavity (sugar-filled gum will cause pain) or use an over-the-counter dental cement. See your dentist as soon as possible.

If you have a broken dental crown or bridge, make an appointment to see your dentist as soon as possible and bring the restoration with you. If possible, put your restoration back in place. Before doing so, coat the inner surface with an over-the-counter dental cement, toothpaste or denture adhesive to help hold the restoration in place. Don’t use a “super glue”!

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Severe soft tissue injury

Injuries to the soft tissues, which include your tongue, cheeks, gums and lips, can result in bleeding. To control the bleeding, here’s what to do:

1. Rinse your mouth with a mild salt-water solution.

2. Use a moistened piece of gauze or caffeinated tea bag to apply pressure to the bleeding site. Hold in place for 15 to 20 minutes. (Tea contains tannic acid, which helps shrink blood vessels and slow bleeding.)

3. To control bleeding and relieve pain, hold a cold compress to the outside of your mouth or cheek in the affected area for five to 10 minutes.

4. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, see your dentist right away or go to a hospital emergency room. Continue to apply pressure on the bleeding site with the gauze until your dentist can see you.

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