What To Do In A Dental Emergency

At the moment, our office is currently closed to general, preventive, and elective procedures, such as cosmetic dentistry. However, your Tucson, AZ, dentist can still address dental emergencies as they arise, protecting your smile from worsening discomfort and complications. In today’s blog, we’re looking at common situations that call for treatment, and what your initial response should be.

Common Dental Emergencies

What is a dental emergency? If you have stained teeth, this is serious, but not an emergency. However, pain in one or more of your teeth? Cracked or chipped teeth? These are all emergencies as lack of care could mean infections and worse, tooth loss. A loose or lost restoration, like a crown or filling, is cause for concern because discomfort and infection could follow unless addressed. In addition, loose or knocked out teeth could mean you need attention too. Basically, any pain or injury to the teeth or gums that is not life threatening is cause to contact our office and schedule a visit.

The Importance of an Initial Response

Your response could help reduce the risk of further complications, and ease your discomfort, until we can see you. For example, if you have an aching tooth, floss on ether side and gently rinse with warm water. If this fails to address the pain, call us. You can also take a pain reliver. If you have a chipped tooth, try to father any pieces to bring with you, and use a washcloth to control bleeding and a cold compress against the side of the face to control swelling. Then see us right away. Again, a pain reliever is okay to ease discomfort. For a knocked-out tooth, pick it up by the crown, or visible portion, never touch the root. Put it in a glass of milk or salt water and bring it with you. If a restoration is loose, avoid hot or cold foods and drinks, or sugary items, as this could lead to sensitivity.

Possible Treatment Options

With a loose or lost restoration, we will replace it with a new one. For chipped teeth, we may be able to repair the damage in one visit with dental bonding. We also have crowns to address serious damage too. Our entire team will also be following strict health and safety guidelines to ensure the continued protection of our patients and team members.

Do You Have Questions About Emergency Dentistry?

At our Tucson, AZ, dentist’s office, we want to make sure you remember that we’re here to address your emergency situations when they arise. If you have questions about preventing serious oral health complications, contact us today to schedule a visit by calling our office at 520-296-5439.