When you find yourself with a common dental emergency situation, such as a cracked or chipped tooth, or one that has been knocked loose or out completely, you should see us right away. Otherwise, ignoring the issue could lead to painful complications and even the risk of missing teeth. In today’s blog, your Prairie Village, KS, dentist talks about the importance of not ignoring your dental emergency.
Dental Emergencies and Complications
What constitutes a dental emergency? Essentially, we consider any injury or sudden pain in your smile to be one. This could also include damaged or missing restorations or prosthetics, or even compromised orthodontics too. As long as the issue isn’t life threatening, you should call our team right away. Otherwise, proceed to the nearest emergency room or call 911. If your dental emergency happens during our normal business hours then call us and see if we can get you in same-day. If we are closed, then call us anyway and leave a message, someone from our team will reach out soon to arrange an appointment for care. Don’t ignore the injury, because even a minor chip could expose enough of the sensitive inner structures that tooth decay or even a painful dental infection can form!
Your Response
Once you call us, you can then take a few steps to ease your initial discomfort and try to limit complications before we can see you. For example, take an over-the-counter pain reliever if discomfort is present. Rinse with warm water and use cloth or a piece of gauze to stem any bleeding. To keep facial swelling under control, place a cold compress to the side of your face. If you damage a tooth, try to recover any pieces and bring them with you. If you knock out a tooth, only pick it up by the crown, don’t touch the roots, and place it in a sealed container filled with milk or salt water. Bring it with you to the office.
Our Treatment Options
When you arrive, we will start by conducting a detailed examination to see what treatments are needed for your smile. We can replace any compromised restorations, prosthetics, or repair orthodontics as needed. Our team can use bonding or even a custom crown to repair any damaged teeth, and can restore a knocked-out tooth to proper placement in your smile. If you have any questions about how our team will repair and restore smiles with emergency dentistry, or about wearing a custom mouthguard to prevent injuries, then contact our team today.
