A dental emergency could include a cracked or chipped tooth, or even one being knocked loose or out completely. When this happens, you need to see our team right away! But in the meantime, as your Prairie Village, KS, dentist explains, you can take steps to ease your discomfort.
The Causes of a Dental Emergency
What causes a dental emergency? Well, this could happen due to a sports injury on the court or field, or even an accident when boxing or playing martial arts. For some, biting down on a hard piece of food, such as popcorn kernels or a piece of ice, could injure a tooth. When you have sudden toothache, this could be due to a cavity or infection. When you have a dental emergency, don’t panic! Call our team right away. If you reach us during our normal business hours, then we will try to see you same-day for repair. If you reach us outside of our operating hours, just leave a message and a team member will reach out soon with a possible appointment time.
Taking Steps to Help
You can take steps to ease your discomfort. First, you should rinse with warm water and use cloth or a bit of gauze to control any bleeding. To prevent facial swelling, you can apply an ice pack or cold compress to the side of your face. If a tooth is damaged, try to recover any pieces and bring them with you to the office. If a tooth is knocked out, you should pick it up by the crown only, don’t touch the roots, and place it in a sealed container of milk or salt water, and bring it with you. The tooth could also be placed gently into the socket and you could hold it in place by carefully biting down. If you have pain, then consider an over-the-counter pain reliever.
Our Restorative Treatment Options
When you arrive, we will examine your tooth to assess the cause and severity of your injury, so we can choose the right solution. For minor chips, we could repair the tooth same-day with bonding. For more severe breakage or fractures, we could create and place a custom dental crown. Our team could return a knocked-out tooth to your bite. We can also discuss custom mouthguards to help prevent injuries in the future. If you have any questions about how we manage your dental emergencies, or if you want to see us now and use any remaining dental benefits before they expire at the end of the year, then please reach out today!
Learn More About Addressing Dental Emergencies
Our team is ready to help you avoid the complications of untreated dental emergencies. To schedule an appointment and obtain dental emergency treatment, then just contact Robert M. Browne DDS in Prairie Village, KS by calling (913) 901-8585.