Summer is fun for all ages, but sometimes when out playing sports or engaging in other summer activities, injuries could occur. If a tooth is cracked, chipped, or even knocked-out, care is needed. In today’s blog, Dr. Robert M. Browne talks about addressing dental emergencies with urgent care dentistry.
The Causes and Complications of a Dental Emergency
If you or your child play sports, practice martial arts, or boxes, this could mean a higher risk of chipped, cracking, or even knocking loose a tooth. You could even have a fully avulsed tooth, which means one completely knocked out. Likewise, even minor injuries could result from simply biting down on something hard, like a piece of ice. When you have damaged a tooth, or if one begins to hurt, then you should see our team for dental emergency treatment. But before you arrive for urgent care dentistry, we can offer a few tips to help ease your initial discomfort.
How to Ease Discomfort
For anyone suffering from a dental emergency, be sure to use a cold compress to the side of the face to avoid swelling, and stem the bleeding with cloth or gauze. An over-the-counter pain reliever can be taken too. If a tooth is knocked out fully, only pick it up by the crown portion, don’t touch the roots. Then put the tooth in a sealed container of milk or salt water and bring it with you. If you are proceeding directly to us, you can place it into the socket and gently bite down to hold it in place until we can see you. If a tooth is broken, try to recover any pieces and bring them with you if possible.
Also, remember that damaged or missing crowns, fillings, prosthetics, or orthodontics are also emergency situations, and to contact our team right away for help!
Seeing Our Team for Treatment
When the injury happens, first call our office. If we are open, we will try to see you same-day for urgent care dentistry. If not, then leave a message and we will reach out to you soon to discuss possible appointment times. We want to offer repair for injuries to help prevent complications for your smile, and to keep your smile whole and healthy for years to come. If you have any questions about what to do following your summertime dental emergency, then reach out to our team today to learn more. We can also discuss custom mouthguards to help limit the risk of injuries for those playing sports!
Schedule a Visit for a Damaged Tooth With Dr. Browne, DDS
We can help address injured teeth with urgent care dentistry. If you need dental emergency treatment, then call Dr. Robert M Browne, DDS in Prairie Village, KS at (913) 901-8585 today.