What to Do If You Have a Dental Emergency

Last updated 8 months ago

While nearly all of us will experience a toothache at some point during our lives—certain oral conditions are more serious than others. Unfortunately, knowing how to handle a dental emergency is not always an easy task. Continue reading for tips on what to do when you or a family member experience a dental emergency .

Assess the Situation
As with any type of emergency, the first step when dealing with a dental emergency is to assess the seriousness of the situation. For example, small chips and fractures may not require immediate treatment whereas avulsed teeth or large chips and breaks may need to be treated within several hours in order to save the tooth.

Start At-Home Treatment
Once you have determined the seriousness of your injury you may begin at-home treatment until you can visit with your emergency dentist. When dealing with a chipped or broken tooth, rinse your mouth out with warm water and use a piece of sterile gauze to stop any bleeding. You can then apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth near the affected tooth in order to reduce swelling and discomfort until you can see your dentist. Knocked out teeth, however, should be placed in a cup of milk or saliva as soon as possible to preserve the tooth roots and increase the chances for successful re-implantation.

Visit Your Emergency Dentist
The most important step to take when dealing with a dental emergency is to visit your Vancouver dentist. An experienced dentist will clean and disinfect the area before performing any necessary procedures to remedy the situation.

Whether you have chipped a tooth, lost a tooth, or a severe infection, the dentists with Cascade Dental are here to help. For more information on our emergency services, cosmetic dentistry services, and children’s dentistry services contact us at (360) 213-1999.