There are few things less convenient than dental emergencies. They can easily throw a wrench in your schedule and lead to significant discomfort depending on the cause. If you’re enjoying contact sports with friends or biting into your favorite food during one moment, then gripping your mouth or tooth in discomfort the next, call our dental office for emergency dentistry in Mesa, AZ.
When it comes to dental emergencies, it’s very rare that they will get better on their own. It’s also unlikely that you’ll be able to resolve it by yourself, which is why it’s incredibly important that you call our dental office as soon as they occur. Once you get in touch with our team at Dental Innovations, we’ll provide you with helpful advice on how to improve your situation before you arrive. Until then, here’s what you should do in the following dental emergencies.
Start by taking a 12- to 16-inch strand of dental floss and slide it between the tooth in question to remove any loose food debris. Then, if discomfort continues, take an over-the-counter medication like ibuprofen to reduce any inflammation you’re experiencing. Aspirin can cause a burning sensation if it touches oral tissue, so avoid this if possible. In the event decay is present, we will perform a cleaning and then either a crown or filling depending on the damage.
If you have any remaining pieces of your tooth, keep them and bring them to your emergency appointment. Avoid chewing food until you can get your tooth repaired. If the tooth is only cosmetically chipped and no pain is present, you may be able to wait until regular business hours. Apply a cold compress to your face if any swelling is present. This can be done for 10 minutes at a time and can be reapplied and removed for up to one hour.
Stay calm and try your best to find the tooth. If found, you can pick it up by the crown portion. Just make sure to avoid touching the root or removing any tissue still attached. You should gently rinse it with cold water to remove any dirt or debris. From there, you can temporarily place it back into your open socket to keep it preserved. If this does not work, keep it in a container of milk until you arrive at our dental office. If we cannot reimplant the tooth, we will discuss potential tooth replacement options.
You can temporarily reattach your restoration to your tooth using dental cement, denture adhesive, or sugar-free chewing gum if nothing else is available. More often than not, the restoration needs to be completely replaced to ensure protection of your damaged tooth.
While a dental emergency can be virtually impossible to predict, there are ways you can reduce your risk substantially. For example, our team recommends patients to:
In order to confirm which treatment is needed for your emergency dental issue, we need to perform a detailed exam. From there, we can determine a more specific price tag for your care. Tooth decay can be resolved with a cleaning and restoration. However, if this tooth decay is severe and needs root canal therapy, your costs will be higher. Regardless of what your emergency may actually be, we ask that you call us to set up an appointment. We’ll discuss your financial options and make sure your dental discomfort is taken care of before you leave.
