Handling a Dental Emergency: Immediate Steps and Treatment at Schaefer Dental Group
When you have a dental emergency—whether it’s caused by a sudden accident or chronic disease—your teeth and/or the tissues of the mouth that surround them need to receive proper care right away. As with any type of medical emergency, it’s important to be aware, before you’re actually in the situation, of what you can do to ensure the best outcome. Schaefer Dental Group is here to help with dental emergencies in Lansing, Michigan.
Traumatic Dental Injuries
- Knocked-Out Permanent Tooth: Requires quick thinking. Pick it up without touching the root, gently clean it with water, and try to put it back in its socket facing the correct way. Hold it in place with gentle pressure as you rush to the dental office or emergency room. If you can’t replant it, tuck it between the patient’s cheek and gum, or carry it in a container of cold milk.
- Moved or Loosened Tooth: Treatment needs to occur within six hours. If there is uncontrollable bleeding, go immediately to the ER.
- Chipped Teeth: The most common traumatic injury. Try to find any pieces that have come off, as it might be possible to reattach them. Make an appointment for an office visit as soon as possible, and bring the pieces with you.
Tooth Pain Emergencies
Acute or persistent tooth pain always signals a need for an urgent visit to the dental office. The most common cause is tooth decay, a bacterial infection. Sometimes, tooth pain indicates that you may need a root canal treatment—a procedure that not only relieves the pain of an infection deep inside the tooth but also can keep the tooth from having to be removed. Other times, pain may be caused by a loose filling or sensitive tooth. The only way to know for sure what’s causing your tooth pain is to make an appointment at Schaefer Dental Group right away.
Gum and Soft Tissue Emergencies
Injuries and infections involving the soft tissues of the mouth may also require emergency treatment, such as accidental bites, falls, or abscesses.
- General Soft Tissue Injury: Any injury to the soft tissues of the mouth should be rinsed with dilute salt water. If there is visible debris, it should be cleared. Bleeding can usually be controlled by pressing a clean, damp material to the area for 10-15 minutes. If this does not work, go to the emergency room immediately.
- Abscesses: A periodontal (gum) abscess is a pus-filled sac caused by an infection and is usually quite painful. Abscesses require immediate attention at the dental office.
- Foreign Body: A foreign body lodged beneath the gum line can sometimes be gently worked out with dental floss or a toothpick. But if this can’t be accomplished easily, make a dental appointment so the area does not become damaged and/or infected.