Don’t Panic
Life can be full of unpleasant – and inconvenient–surprises. You break your dentures, lose a crown or a filling to hard candy. Or sometimes the pain of existing dental issues-like an abscess-become too much to bear. Your eight-year-olds front tooth gets knocked out during baseball practice. We know it may be easier said than done but first thing’s first in an emergency: don’t panic. It only makes things worse and a panicky state often yields poor decisions. Take a few deep breaths in the case of a dental emergency and give us a call.
Don’t hesitate; we believe serving our patients after hours is a common need in our industry. If any of the following occurs, following these steps makes things easier when you come in:
- Toothaches. Toothaches can be caused by a number of factors. Gently floss the tooth and rinse with warm salt water to dislodge particles that might cause the toothache. At this stage, it’s safe to take OTC pain medication.
- Chipped or broken teeth. Recover the broken piece if possible, swish with warm salt water and take OTC medicine if you’re in pain. Bring the chipped off piece to our office.
- Knocked out teeth. Recover the tooth if possible, hold it by the crown or top part and gently rinse with warm water. Do not remove any pieces of remaining tissue. Gently reinsert the tooth into the gum socket if you can. If you cannot, store the tooth in a jar of milk and bring it with you to our office.
No worries. We also accept new patients on an emergency basis and will do our best to restore your mouth to its original look.
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