Treating Dental Emergencies
Accidents happen. Whether it results from a sports injury or the long-term consequence of an oral health condition, treating dental emergencies as soon as possible is crucial if you want to protect your smile.
At Whidbey Dental Associates, our emergency dentists are here to help. If you’ve experienced a dental emergency, contact our office immediately at (360) 675-6404 and we’ll schedule your appointment as soon as possible.
What Is a Dental Emergency?
A dental emergency is any damage caused to the teeth, gums, or tongue. Some dental emergencies require immediate attention, but some can wait until your next dental visit. We’ve put together a guide on dental emergencies to help you.
Toothaches
Toothaches can be easy to ignore and put off treatment for, but if you have a constant or persistent toothache, it could be an indication of a serious condition. If you notice your teeth are sensitive to extreme temperatures or it’s painful to bite, call us immediately.
Our emergency dentists can use advanced diagnostic technology to find the source of your pain and provide a solution.
Cracked or Chipped Teeth
Cracked or chipped teeth can be cause for concern if the inner pulp chamber is exposed. Other tooth damage rarely requires same-day treatment.
If you think the crack in your tooth could be serious, don’t hesitate to call us for emergency dental care. We can assess the damage and determine the best option to restore your tooth.
Knocked-Out Teeth
Often the result of a sports-related injury or a bad fall, knocking out teeth is a common dental emergency that requires a trip to the dentist as soon as possible. Try to preserve the tooth but avoid touching the roots.
Hold the tooth by the crown only and try to place it back into the socket. If you can’t keep it in the socket, put the tooth in a small container of milk or moistened gauze.
When you arrive at our office, our emergency dentists will try to reattach your tooth or discuss tooth replacement options, depending on the damage.
Cuts in the Mouth
Cuts to the gums and soft tissue in your mouth can be painful, but only severe cuts require an emergency visit to the dentist. If you’ve cut a part of your mouth and it’s not severe, there are some at-home treatments you can do to help your mouth heal.
We recommend rinsing your mouth with a mild salt water solution and placing clean, moistened gauze over the injured area until the bleeding stops. Most of the time, the cut begins healing within a few days.
Frequently Asked Questions
A dental emergency can qualify as anything accidental or that requires immediate care. A chipped or broken tooth lost filling or crown, an infection, cuts in your mouth, or a broken denture or dental implant are all essential for emergency dental care.
Also, if you experience any sudden severe pain in your teeth or gums, you should give our Oak Harbor office a call at (360) 675-6404. Our team can help provide relief for your pain and repair anything that may have broken.
If you have a broken or chipped tooth, you may or may not be experiencing pain right away, but it’s still very important to see one of our equipped doctors right away. You may have exposed the tooth to unwanted bacteria, which can infect the area or cause decay.
If your tooth gets completely knocked out, you’ll also need to seek immediate care. Our team will work to get you in as soon as possible so we can save your natural tooth. Be sure to keep any pieces of your broken or knocked-out tooth if you can.
If you lose a filling or crown, schedule an emergency dental visit at Whidbey Dental Associates. Until we’re able to see you, be sure to hang onto your crown if you still have it so we can reattach it without having to make a new one.
To protect the open tooth, you may use sugar-free gum to cover the cavity and protect it. Cavities left untreated can develop into more complications, including tooth loss, so we’ll work to get you in as soon as we can so an infection doesn’t appear.