People rarely plan for what to do if they experience dental emergencies, leaving them unprepared and afraid when they do occur. However, this does not have to be the case. If you are experiencing a dental emergency, reach out to our dental team at 832-804-7427 right away. If you are dealing with any of the following, proceed as directed and reach out to a dental health professional.
Are You Experiencing Oral Pain?
Oral pain can indicate that there is something wrong with your mouth. If you’re experiencing dental pain, follow the instructions below, then contact your dentist as soon as possible.
- Take Tylenol as directed on the bottle or packaging label.
- If your mouth is bleeding, stay calm. Do not take aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, or Aleve). These drugs are blood thinners and could make the bleeding worse.
- Apply an ice pack to the area in pain for up to 20 minutes every hour.
- Injured teeth and gums can create infections and other complications; contact your dentist as soon as possible.
- If you fear that your emergency is life-threatening, call 911 or go to the hospital emergency room for medical treatment.
Are You Experiencing Tooth Pain?
Clean out your mouth by rinsing thoroughly with warm water. Gently floss around the tooth to remove any food particles that may be trapped between your teeth or just under your gum line. If your tooth continues to hurt, see your dentist as soon as possible.
Are You Experiencing Pain Associated with Braces?
For a day or two after braces or retainers have been adjusted, you may experience some discomfort. To help alleviate the pain, rinse your mouth with warm salt water or take pain medication as directed on the packaging label.
Follow the steps below to address small daily concerns that occur occasionally to braces wearers.
- Food trapped between teeth: While this occurs often, it is not a dental emergency. To dislodge the food, try tying a small knot in the middle of some dental floss, or use an interproximal brush or toothpick.
- Piece of appliance inhaled: Call 911 immediately and go to the hospital emergency room for treatment.
- Piece of appliance swallowed: Call your dentist or orthodontist to discuss appropriate steps.
- A poking wire: Call your orthodontist to describe the situation and schedule an appointment. Use a Q-tip or pencil eraser to push the wire flat against the tooth. If you cannot move the wire into a comfortable position, cover it with dental wax (available over the counter at your pharmacy).
- Bracket knocked off: Call your orthodontist to describe the situation and schedule an appointment. If the loose bracket has rotated on the wire and is sticking out, attempt to turn it back into its normal position. To minimize loose brace movement, use dental wax (available over the counter at your pharmacy).
- Lost wire or ligature: If you found the rubber ligature, you may be able to put it back in place using sterile tweezers. If not, you may need to schedule an appointment with your orthodontist.
- Mouth sores: If your mouth sores are caused by having new braces, apply a topical anesthetic (available over-the-counter at your pharmacy). To alleviate pain, take acetaminophen as directed on the packaging label.
Are You Experiencing Swelling or Abscess?
If your gums hurt or begin to swell, see your dentist right away. In some cases, pain or swelling can be symptoms of an abscess or infection that forms in gum tissue or a tooth’s root. However, there are many reasons why gums can swell, become painful, or abscess. The only way to identify the underlying cause is a thorough dental exam.
If the abscess ruptures, you may experience a sudden rush of foul-smelling and foul-tasting fluid from the swollen or painful area. Rinse your mouth with warm water immediately.
Do You Have a Chipped or Broken Tooth?
If you’ve chipped or broken a tooth, it may be possible to reattach the pieces to your tooth, but only your dentist can tell you for sure. Take the following steps and see your dentist right away. Remember to take the pieces with you.
- Rinse your mouth with warm water to clean it and apply gauze to the area. Use firm pressure to stop the bleeding. Try to find the chipped or broken tooth pieces right away.
- When the bleeding stops, apply a cold compress to the injured area to minimize swelling. If bleeding does not stop after ten minutes of constant, firm pressure, see your dentist or go to the emergency room.
- Save the tooth’s pieces and gently rinse with warm water.
- Place the pieces in a small container and cover them with milk, water with a pinch of salt, or saliva from the injured person.
Have You Experienced Tooth Loss?
A Child’s Baby Tooth
Call your dentist right away. If the child’s baby tooth completely comes out of their mouth, we cannot reimplant it in most cases. If this happens, the missing tooth will be replaced naturally when the child’s permanent tooth grows into place.
A Permanent Tooth
If you’ve knocked out a tooth, you have a one-to-two-hour window in which the tooth has a chance for re-implantation, but only your dentist can tell you for sure. Take the following steps and see your dentist right away. Remember to take your protected tooth with you.
- Rinse your mouth with warm water to clean it and apply gauze to the area. Use firm pressure to stop the bleeding. Try to find the chipped or broken tooth pieces right away.
- When the bleeding stops, apply a cold compress to the injured area to minimize swelling. If bleeding does not stop after ten minutes of constant, firm pressure, see your dentist or go to the emergency room.
- Save the tooth’s pieces and gently rinse with warm water.
- Place the pieces in a small container and cover them with milk, water with a pinch of salt, or saliva from the injured person.
- Rinse with warm water to clean it and apply gauze to the area. Use firm pressure to stop the bleeding. Try to find the chipped or broken tooth pieces right away.
- When the bleeding stops, apply a cold compress to the injured area to minimize swelling. If bleeding does not stop after ten minutes of constant, firm pressure, see your dentist or go to the emergency room.
- Place the tooth in a small container and cover it with milk, water with a pinch of salt, or saliva from the injured person.
Have You Lost a Filling or Crown?
If a filling or crown is knocked out or otherwise lost, you may experience pain due to the air coming into contact with the exposed part of your tooth. Fortunately, you can address this pain using clove oil, which is available over the counter in pharmacies and supermarkets. Just dip a cotton swab in clove oil and apply it to the exposed part of your tooth.
Putting an ice pack on your face over the area that hurts also may relieve the pain. However, you should also schedule an appointment with your dentist to replace the crown or filling. This action ensures that infections do not invade the cavity.
Filling
If you found the filling, put it in a safe place and take it with you when you see your dentist. To make your tooth more comfortable, fill the hole in your tooth with tooth wax or cement (available over the counter at your pharmacy). Do not use any household adhesives, such as super glue, in your mouth.
Crown
If you found the crown, you may temporarily replace it yourself until you see your dentist. Gently clean any debris from the inside of your crown. To the inside of your crown, apply denture adhesive, dental cement, or toothpaste before slipping the crown back in place to protect your tooth.
Have You Bitten Your Tongue or Lip?
A small cut (less than 1/4 inch) is likely to heal itself. Carefully wipe the area clean with gauze or a cloth and apply a cold compress, ice pack, or small bag of frozen fruit or vegetables to the area to minimize swelling; however, if the cut is larger than 1/4 inch, or if bleeding does not stop after ten minutes of cold treatment, go to the emergency room.
Have You Burned the Roof of Your Mouth?
Eating very hot food (like pizza) can burn the roof of your mouth. These painful sores and blisters typically heal on their own. If they have not healed after ten days, see your dentist.
In the meantime, use warm salt water rinses (1/8 of a teaspoon in 8 ounces of water) after meals to keep the area clean. If pain relief is needed, use a topical oral anesthetic (found over the counter at your pharmacy). You can also take acetaminophen as directed on the packaging label.
Contact Our Dental Team Today
If you’re reading this and need emergency dental services, don’t wait. Call 832-804-7427, or contact us online and speak with one of our friendly dental receptionists.