Dental Emergency

A dental emergency is a dental situation requiring immediate treatment to ensure the best chances of teeth survival, alleviate the pain and halt any possible secondary problems to your health. Your teeth can be fractured by trauma, grinding or biting on hard objects. In some other cases fillings, crowns and other restorative dental treatments can be damaged or fall out completely.

If there is severe pain, it is important to make an appointment with a trusted emergency dentist as quickly as possible. The pain caused by dental emergencies always get worse without immediate treatment.

Types of dental emergency

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Types of dental emergency
Dental Emergency Dentist

Avulsed tooth (tooth that has been knocked out)

If a tooth has been knocked out of the mouth, you have to see your dentist in Elgin immediately. In this case tissues, nerves and blood vessels become damaged. If the tooth can be placed back into its socket within an hour, there is a good chance that the tissues will grow back to support the tooth.

These are some steps to take in the situation of avulsed tooth:

Call the dentist.
Pick up the tooth by the crown and rinse it under warm water. DO NOT attempt to touch the root.
If possible, place it back into its socket – if not tuck it into the cheek pouch.
If the tooth cannot be placed in the mouth, put the tooth into a cup of milk, mixture of saliva and blood or in a pharmaceutical product called HBSS. It is important to keep the tooth from drying out.
Get to the dentist quickly

Your emergency dentist will try to replace the tooth in its natural socket. In some cases, the tooth will reattach, but if the inner mechanisms of the teeth are seriously damaged, root canal therapy may be necessary.

Lost filling or crown

A dental crown or tooth filling can come loose while eating. Once it is out of the mouth, the affected tooth may be very sensitive to temperature changes and pressure. If a crown has dropped out of the mouth, make a dental appointment as soon as possible.

Keep the crown in a cool, safe place because there is a possibility that the dentist can reinsert it again. If the crown has been out for a longer period of time, teeth might have shifted and changed the first position so it is likely that the crown won’t fit back and the new one will have to be made.

These are the steps to take:

Apply clove oil to the tooth to alleviate pain.
Clean the crown and affix it onto the tooth with dental cement. This can be purchased at the local pharmacy.
If the crown is lost, smear the top of the tooth with dental cement to alleviate discomfort.
It is extremely important NOT TO use any kind of glue to affix the crown.

Cracked or broken teeth

Sometimes fractures are painless, but if the crack extends down into the root, it is likely that the pain will be extreme. Fractures, cracks and breaks can take several different forms, but are generally caused by trauma, grinding and biting. If a tooth has been fractured or cracked, there is no other alternative but to see the dentist as quickly as possible.

Here are some steps that can be taken at home in this situation:

Call the dentist.
Rinse the tooth fragment and the mouth with lukewarm water.
Apply gauze to the area for ten minutes if there is bleeding.
Place a cold, damp dishtowel on the cheek to minimize swelling and pain.
Cover the affected area with over-the-counter dental cement if there is no way to see the dentist immediately.
Take a topical pain reliever.

The nature of the break or fracture will limit what the dentist is able to do.

Dislodged/loose teeth

When a tooth has been dislodged or loosened from its socket by trauma or decay, it might be possible to save it. If the tooth remains in the mouth and attached to the blood vessels and nerves, there is a good chance root canal therapy will not be necessary.