Sometimes accidents happen, dental crowns fall off, or your tooth just hurts for reasons unknown to you. In these instances, scheduling an appointment days or weeks out is not the best option. To provide immediate dental assistance, Magnolia Dentistry offers emergency dental care. Emergency dental care offers quick and effective treatment of a variety of dental emergencies.
Did You Know?
With some dental emergencies, waiting as little as an extra 30 minutes before seeing your dentist can make the difference between saving and losing a tooth. Because of this, if you suspect a dental emergency, you should call our office immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions:
What is a dental emergency?
A dental emergency is defined as a dental condition that needs immediate dental attention. Possible types of dental emergencies may include:
- Loss of a tooth
- The cracking, chipping, or breaking of a tooth
- Loss of a dental restoration
- Trauma to the soft tissues of the mouth like gums, lips, cheeks, or tongue
- A sudden inability to eat or speak
- Sudden tooth pain
While these are some types of dental emergencies, they do not make up the entire list. If you are not sure whether you have a dental emergency or not, please call our office and we can give you advice.
How can I prevent a dental emergency?
While some dental emergencies cannot be prevented, others may be able to be. Some precautions you can take are avoiding excessively hard foods that can damage your teeth such as ice and certain candies. You will also want to avoid damaging behaviors like using your teeth to open packages.
If you play impact sports or if you grind or clench your teeth, you should also be fit for a mouthguard or night guard. Mouthguards will protect your teeth during high impact activities, while night guards will protect your teeth from the stress of nightly grinding and clenching.
How can I better prepare for a dental emergency?
To better prepare yourself and your family for a dental emergency, you should put together a dental first-aid kit or simply make sure to add a few dental items to your normal first-aid kit. Such items include: gauze pads, a handkerchief, a small container with a lid (for storing lost teeth), acetaminophen for pain management, and Magnolia Dentistry’s office number. Be sure to avoid taking ibuprofen or aspirin because it can cause excess bleeding.
What should I do during a dental emergency?
The first thing you should do during a dental emergency is to call our office. In the meantime, there may be a few things you can do before coming in. The way you will respond to a dental emergency depends on the type of emergency.
For a lost tooth, be sure to only touch the tooth’s crown. The tooth’s root, or part that normally sits below the gum line, is composed of many essential cells and touching the root could infect, damage, or remove these cells, making it harder to reattach the tooth. You should rinse the tooth free of debris and then proceed to keep it moist by submerging it in milk or saliva. If your tooth is merely loose but still intact, bite down to try to prevent the tooth from moving further.
For teeth that are chipped, cracked, or broken, start by rinsing your mouth with warm water and collecting any tooth remnants if possible. If there are pieces of the tooth, keep these moist in milk or saliva. To manage the pain associated with damaged teeth, you can take Tylenol and use a cold compress.
For soft tissue injuries, clean the wound and rinse with warm water. If there is any bleeding, it is important that you stop the bleeding by biting down on gauze or a teabag. Depending on the type and severity of the injury, it may be recommended to go to the emergency room.
If you have a temporary dental restoration fall out, you may be able to reattach it by using Vaseline, toothpaste, Chapstick, or denture adhesive. If your permanent restoration falls out, call our office for further instruction, but be sure to keep your restoration in a safe place and bring it to your appointment.
What can I expect when receiving emergency dental care from Magnolia Dental?
When receiving emergency dental care from Magnolia Dental, you can expect to be seen in a timely manner. Depending on the nature of your dental emergency, a variety of dental treatments may be performed to address the emergency. If you are in pain, dental anesthetics will likely be used to keep you comfortable. In cases of severe dental emergencies, you may also require dental sedation to keep you calm during the procedure.
What can I expect after receiving emergency dental care from Magnolia Dental?
Your expectations after treatment will depend on the type and extent of emergency dental care you received. If you received dental anesthetics, you can expect your mouth to be numb for a while after treatment, and if you received dental sedation, you may feel groggy depending on the level of sedation. In cases where oral or IV sedation was used, you may even require a driver.
While the cause of your initial dental pain may have been resolved, you may have some residual pain caused by the trauma of the dental emergency. Once the issue has been resolved, this pain should fade within a few days and can be managed with Tylenol and a cold compress.
You may also be given special post-treatment instructions to follow. If these are given, it is important to follow them for optimal and quick healing. Usually these instructions pertain to keeping the area clean and taking certain medications.
For the highest quality dental treatments and sincere patient care, schedule a consultation with Dr. Ross Quartano and Zach Staples of Magnolia Dentistry today. Magnolia Dentistry provides dental services to the community of Covington, LA and surrounding areas.