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One morning, you might wake up with a severe toothache that doesn’t go away and only gets worse whenever you bite or chew something. Or you might get hit in the face while playing your favorite sport and end up with a damaged or even lost tooth. These dental emergencies require immediate attention if Dr. Marable is going to stop your pain and keep your smile whole. Keep our number close at all times so that you can call us as soon as you need urgent dental care!
Knowing the basics of how to take care of a dental emergency can help you stay calm and make the right decisions during a stressful situation. If you’re not sure what to do, don’t worry; we can give you advice over the phone that will help you stay as comfortable as possible while you’re waiting for your appointment. Below, you’ll find some tips for dealing with a variety of particularly common emergencies that you should always be prepared for.
A persistent toothache might mean there’s some infected or inflamed pulp that will have to be removed via root canal therapy. Taking pain medication such as ibuprofen can help temporarily relieve discomfort. However, you should avoid placing aspirin directly on the teeth or gums, since this could cause a chemical burn.
Gather the broken-off pieces of the tooth as best as you can. Place sugarless gum or dental wax over any jagged edges. If bleeding occurs, press down on the wound with a piece of gauze until it stops. Do not bite or chew with the damaged tooth; this could worsen the damage to the point where an extraction may be necessary.
We only have a short amount of time to attempt a replantation of a lost tooth. Call us immediately, then pick the tooth up by the end used for chewing and rinse off any dirt or debris. The best way to preserve a lost tooth until your appointment is to put it back in its socket or keep it in a container of milk.
You can’t permanently reattach a crown by yourself. That said, you can use dental wax or sugarless gum as a temporary solution in order to protect the exposed tooth. If your tooth is sensitive, clove oil can be very useful for relieving your discomfort. Be careful not to chew with the side of the mouth where the restoration was lost.
Obviously, it’s better for your mouth overall if you can stop dental emergencies from happening in the first place. Here are a few basic steps you can take:
When you walk into our office for urgent dental care, you’ll probably be wondering how much you can expect to pay for your treatment. To answer this question, first we need to figure out the exact nature of your emergency. Sometimes it might be a relatively minor issue that can be fixed rather quickly while other oral health problems require more complex solutions. Of course, we’ll only ever recommend treatments that are absolutely necessary to save your smile, and we’ll help you explore your options for making your care affordable.
Did you know that your dentist can help treat more kinds of pain than just toothaches? When the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) that links the lower jaw to the skull is damaged or strained, you could end up living with constant jaw pain (and other forms of discomfort) that may eventually become debilitating. If you’ve been diagnosed with a TMJ disorder or suspect that you might have one, get in touch with Dr. Marable to ask about treatment.