Emergencies

Many dental injuries can be prevented by wearing a sports mouth guard during recreational sports. Aviod chewing in ice, hard candies and popcorn kernels. Also don’t use your teeth to open things such as bottles or packages. When accidents do occur, TIME IS CRITICAL, so see your dentist as soon as possible!

• Bitten Lip or Tongue – cleanse area with clean water and apply cold compress to reduce swelling. If bleeding continues, go to the Emergency Room.

• Broken Tooth – Rinse mouth with warm water and apply cold compress to area to keep the swelling down and call dentist.

• Fractured Jaw – Apply cold compress to control swelling. Go immediately to the Emergency Room.

• Knocked – Out Tooth –  Hold the tooth by the crown. Rinse off root of tooth with clean water only if it is dirty. Do not scrub it or remove any attached tissue fragments. If possible, gently insert and hold the tooth in its socket. If that isn’t possible, put the tooth in a cup of milk and get to the dentist as quickly as possible.

• Remember to take the tooth with you!

• Objects Caught between Teeth – Try to gently remove the object with dental floss; avoid cutting the gums. Never use a sharp instrument to remove any object that is stuck between your teeth. If you can’t dislodge the object using dental floss, contact your dentist.

• Toothache – Rinse your mouth with warm water to clean it out. Gently use dental floss or an interdental cleaner to ensure that there is no food or other debris caught between the teeth. Never put aspirin or any other painkiller against the gums near the aching tooth because it may burn the gum tissue. If the pain persists, contact your dentist.