Toothache
Dental Emergency Toothache

What is a dental emergency?

dental emergency is a type of medical emergency involving the teeth or gums. Pain involving these parts of the mouth, even when minor, can indicate a severe underlying problem that could worsen with time. Pain is one of the reasons people go to the dentist. A painful tooth can be triggered by hot or cold foods and drinks. It is important to contact a dentist as soon as possible for a professional evaluation to minimize damage to the teeth, gums and the supporting bone. A dental emergency is always a stressful situation, but it can become absolutely nerve-racking when your dentist is out of the office.
The best way to handle a potential dental emergency is to avoid it in the first place. The most common dental emergency is pain or swelling from an infected tooth. In general, this happens over a period of time, not all of a sudden or overnight. usually, a person has some degree of pain or discomfort for a few days or even longer before they are in a lot of pain and in need of emergency dental care. The best advice is to visit the dentist at the first sign of any discomfort whether in the teeth or gums.

What to do if a dental emergency does occur when your dentist is unavailable?

Here are some basic things that you can do to cope with dental emergencies when they occur:

Pain in the teeth or gums can often be effectively handled with over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil®), naproxen (Aleve®), or acetaminophen (Tylenol®), to be taken as directed.  Never put aspirin or any other painkiller against the gums near the aching tooth because it may burn the gum tissue.  Some-store bought products like Orajel® can also be effective in relieving minor soreness of the gums.

Swollen mouth-  apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth or cheek.  Rinse with warm salt water (a teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of water). This can temporarily help alleviate puffy or swollen cheeks and gums.  See your dentist right away.  This dental emergency is one of the most dangerous if left untreated.

Broken tooth-  a piece of wax or even some soft chewing gum can cover a sharp edge until you can get to the dentist.  Also use cold compress for the swelling.

Bitten Lip or Tongue-  Clean the area gently with a cloth and apply cold compresses to reduce any swelling. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, go to a hospital emergency room immediately.

Knocked Out Tooth-  If the tooth is dirty, hold the tooth by the crown (the part that is usually exposed in the mouth) and rinse off the root of the tooth in water. Do not scrub it or take off any connected tissue pieces. If you can, carefully insert and hold the tooth in its place (in the socket). If that is impossible, place the tooth in a glass of milk and try to get to your dentist as soon as possible. Don’t forget the tooth, take it with you!  Knocked out teeth have the greatest chance of being saved if you go to your dentist and tooth is returned to its socket within 1 hour of being knocked out.

Objects Caught Between Teeth-  Try to remove the object with dental floss in a gentle manner and try to not injure the gums. Never use a sharp instrument to remove any object that is stuck between your teeth. This can cause more damage. If you can’t remove the object using dental floss, contact your dentist.

Lost crown-  If the crown falls off, make an appointment to see your dentist 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, put the crown back over the tooth. You can purchase over-the-counter dental cement to coat the inner surface of your crown. NEVER use super glue!

Your dentist should also be available for advice if a dental emergency occurs. Thanks to cell phones and answering services, patients can often reach their dentist after office hours. This gives the dentist the ability to contact the pharmacy for antibiotics and pain medication should they feel that patients need them. If your dentist is going to be out of the office for more than a few days, he or she should have another dentist available to treat any dental emergencies that may occur.

If you have a dental emergency, please call our offfice at 323-771-7254. Even if it’s after hours the phone will get trasferred to Dr. Zinati’s cell phone. We are always here for you.

Watch this video on dental emergencies
By: Ladan Zinati

8 Comments

  1. Exactly what To Do Throughout Oral Emergency situation? | St James Dental Group
    August 25, 2013

    […] Continue Reading On Dental Emergencies Here […]

  2. pax terra
    August 28, 2013

    This post for the valuable idea of dental emergency is much more informative and effective. I have got huge information to protect injury or pain in my gum or teeth in an emergency case one.Thanks more.

    • admin
      September 4, 2013

      Ypu are very welcome:)

  3. Major Dental Emergencies | Affordable Dental Services
    November 19, 2013

    […] essential to embark on particular treatments that provide a temporary alleviation. Kindly visit our oral emergency situation hot website know others very first hand and precautionary […]

  4. Exactly what To Do During Dental Emergency? | H...
    December 14, 2013

    […] Exactly what is a dental emergency? A dental emergency is a kind of clinical emergency including the teeth or gums. Discomfort including these parts of the mouth, even when minor, can suggest a severe underlying issue that could worsen with time. Discomfort is among the reasons people go to the dentist. A painful tooth can be triggered by hot or cool foods and drinks. It is important to contact a dentist as quickly as possible for a professional evaluation to minimize damage to the teeth, gums and the sustaining bone. A dental emergency is always a difficult circumstance, however it can end up being absolutely stressful when your dentist is out of the office. The very best method to handle a prospective dental emergency is to avoid it in the initial place. The most typical dental emergency is discomfort or swelling from an infected tooth. In general, this occurs over a period of time, not all a unexpected or overnight . typically, a person has some degree of discomfort or pain for a few days or even longer before they are in a great deal of discomfort and in need of emergency dental care. The very best suggestions is to visit the dentist at the initial indication of any pain whether in the teeth or gums. Exactly what to do if a dental emergency does occur when your dentist is unavailable? Right here are some fundamental things that you can do to cope with dental emergencies when they occur: Discomfort in the teeth or gums can frequently be effectively managed with non-prescription discomfort relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil ®), naproxen (Aleve ®), or acetaminophen (Tylenol ®), to be taken as directed. Never put aspirin or any other pain reliever against the gums near the hurting tooth since it might burn the gum tissue. Some-store purchased products like Orajel ® can likewise be efficient in relieving minor discomfort of the gums. Inflamed mouth- apply a cool compress to the outside of your mouth or cheek. Rinse with warm salt water (a teaspoon of salt in eight ounces of water). This can temporarily assist reduce puffy or inflamed cheeks and gums. See your dentist promptly. This dental emergency is among the most harmful if left untreated. Damaged tooth- a piece of wax or even some soft chewing gum can cover a sharp edge till you can get to the dentist. Likewise utilize cool compress for the swelling. Bitten Lip or Tongue- Clean the area carefully with a fabric and apply cool compresses to decrease any swelling. […] Exactly what is a dental emergency? A dental emergency is a type of clinical emergency including the teeth or gums. A dental emergency is always a difficult circumstance, however it can end up being absolutely stressful when your dentist is out of the office. The finest suggestions is to visit the dentist at the initial indication of any pain whether in the teeth or gums.  […]

  5. dr. kevin khorshid
    December 27, 2013

    I would like some recommendations regarding dental bonding. Can it be utilized to fill in spaces between teeth? Is this a permanent treatment? I’d like to fill in the gap between my top front teeth and could use some assistance. Cheers for the suggestions!

    • admin
      January 1, 2014

      Yes, it can. It is considered permanent but that doesn’t mean it will last forever. It will eventually need to be replaced. Depending on how you take care of it, it can last a very long time. If you want something that will even last longer and not discolor with time, then porcelain veneers are a better choice. They are more expensive though. I hope that answered your question. Let me know if I can be of anymore help.

  6. What To Do When You Get A Toothache While On Vacation? | St. James Dental Group
    March 4, 2015

    […] If a toothache occurs, first rinse your mouth with warm water. Use dental floss to make sure there are no food or any other objects logged between your teeth or your gums. Take an over-the-counter pain medication like Motrin or Advil, which are also anti-inflammatory. (if for some medical reason you cannot take ibuprofens, then you may have to stick to Tylenol.  You can also use pain relieving gels like Anbesol; do not rub aspirin on your gums. These pain relievers will help with almost any dental emergency […]

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