K. Cheyn Gunnerson D.M.D.

Handling Dental Emergencies

Any dental emergency like an injury to the teeth or gums can be potentially serious and should not be ignored. Ignoring a dental problem can increase the risk of permanent damage as well as the need for more extensive and expensive treatment down the road.  The easiest way to avoid dental emergencies is proper hygiene and by keeping up with regular cleanings and exams every six months.

Here's a summary of what to do for some common dental problems.

• Toothaches . First, thoroughly rinse your mouth with warm water. Use dental floss to remove any lodged or impacted food. If your mouth is swollen, apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth or cheek. Never put aspirin or any other painkiller against the gums near the aching tooth because it may burn the gum tissue. Call our office as soon as possible.

 

 

• Chipped or broken teeth. Save any pieces. Rinse the mouth using warm water; rinse any broken pieces. If there's bleeding, apply a piece of gauze to the area until the bleeding stops. Apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth, cheek, or lip near the broken/chipped tooth to keep any swelling down and relieve pain. Do not put any cold directly on the tooth. Call our office as soon as possible.

 

• Knocked-out tooth. Retrieve the tooth, hold it by the crown (the part that is exposed in the mouth), and rinse off the tooth root with water if it's dirty. Do not scrub it or remove any attached tissue fragments. If possible, try to put the tooth back in place. Make sure it's facing the right way. Never force it into the socket. If it's not possible to reinsert the tooth in the socket, put the tooth in a small container of milk or a product containing cell growth medium, such as Save-a-Tooth. In all cases, call our office as quickly as possible. Knocked out teeth with the highest chances of being saved are those seen by the dentist and returned to their socket within 1 hour of being knocked out.
  

 

• Extruded (partially dislodged) tooth. Call our office right away. Until you reach your our office, to relieve pain, apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth or cheek in the affected area.
  

 

• Objects caught between teeth. First, try using dental floss to very gently and carefully remove the object. If you can't get the object out, call our office. Never use a pin or other sharp object to poke at the stuck object. These instruments can cut your gums or push the object deeper into your gum tissues.

 

• Lost filling. As a temporary measure, stick a piece of sugarless gum into the cavity  or use an over-the-counter dental cement. Call our office as soon as possible.
  

 

• Lost crown. If the crown falls off, make an appointment to be seen as soon as possible and bring the crown with you. If you can't get to the dentist right away and the tooth is causing pain, use a cotton swab to apply a little clove oil to the sensitive area (clove oil can be purchased at your local drug store or in the spice aisle of your grocery store). If possible, slip the crown back over the tooth. Before doing so, coat the inner surface with an over-the-counter dental cement or denture adhesive, to help hold the crown in place. Never use super glue!
  

 

• Broken braces wires. If a wire breaks or sticks out of a bracket or band and is poking your cheek, tongue, or gum, try using the eraser end of a pencil to push the wire into a more comfortable position. If you can't reposition the wire, cover the end with orthodontic wax, a small cotton ball, or piece of gauze until you can get to your orthodontist's office. Never cut the wire, as you could end up swallowing it or breathing it into your lungs.
  

 

• Loose brackets and bands. Temporarily reattach loose braces with a small piece of orthodontic wax. Alternatively, place the wax over the braces to provide a cushion. See your orthodontist as soon as possible. If the problem is a loose band, save it and call your orthodontist for an appointment to have it recemented or replaced.

 

• Abscess . Abscesses are infections that occur around the root of a tooth or in the space between the teeth and gums. Abscesses are a serious condition that can damage tissue and surrounding teeth, with the infection possibly spreading to other parts of the body if left untreated.
  
  Because of the serious oral health and general health problems that can result from an abscess, visit our office 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.
  

 

• Soft-tissue injuries. Injuries to the soft tissues, which include the 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 (1/2 teaspoon of table salt to 8 ounces of water).
  2. Use a moistened piece of gauze or tea bag to apply pressure to the bleeding site. Hold in place for 15 to 20 minutes.
  3. To both control bleeding and relieve pain, hold a cold compress to the outside of the mouth or cheek in the affected area for 5 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 you can be seen and treated.

 

In all cases, an over the counter pain reliever such as tylenol or advil (ibuprofin) can be taken to help relieve discomfort until you can be seen in our office.  We will try to see you as quickly as possible, usually the same day.  Dr. Gunnerson can be reached after hours by coding your call as urgent, this will then page the doctor.  However, unless you have been recently seen in the office, Dr. Gunnerson is unable to call in an antibiotic or pain prescription without first seeing you to review your medical history and diagnose the cause of your discomfort.