What are Dental emergencies?
Dental emergencies can occur when your tooth breaks, cracks, becomes loosened, or is knocked out completely. Sometimes dental crowns come off teeth. Lips, gums, or cheeks can be cut. Less often, jaws can fracture from trauma. How Can I Avoid Them? Take simple precautions, such as wearing a mouthguard during sports to prevent teeth from breaking or being knocked out, and avoid hard foods that may crack your teeth-whether you have natural teeth or you wear dentures. For all of them, see a dentist as soon as possible. • Tooth Knocked Out: Immediately call a dentist for an emergency appointment. It is important to see your dentist within one hour of when your tooth is knocked out for the best chance of the tooth surviving. Do not hold or handle the tooth by the root of the tooth, which can damage cells needed for reattachment. Rinse dirt or debris off the tooth gently; never scrub it clean. Place the tooth between the cheek and gum to keep it moist. Don’t let it dry out. If that’s not poss
How do you know whether or not you have a dental emergency? Swelling in your mouth has the potential to have the most severe consequences of all dental emergencies. Something as simple as a piece of food stuck between your teeth and gums can cause swelling. Infections, cysts, and oral cancers are just a few of the serious causes of swelling. In either case you should visit your dentist right away to have the swelling inspected. Pain is a signal that there is a problem that requires attention. Pain medication is good for temporary relief, but you should still make an emergency appointment with your dentist. Pain, whether minor or unbearable and throbbing, may indicate that you have an infection. An infection is considered a life-threatening event because it can settle in other parts of your body and make you extremely ill. An avulsed (knocked out) permanent tooth is one of the most common dental emergencies. It’s estimated that as many as five million of these occur every year. A dentis
