Top 3 Most Common Dental Emergency Calls

The holiday season is upon us and this is the time of the year where many of our patients are traveling to visit family and friends around the world.  Inevitably, it’s also the time of the year where we are swamped with calls from patients who have dental emergencies of some type or another and may not have the opportunity to come into our office to see the doctor on call.  We wanted to make everyone aware of our dental emergency section on our website.  Also be aware that as a patient of ours, there is always a dentist on call to answer any questions you may have when you suspect something has gone awry in your mouth.

Here are the three most common of the dental emergency calls we get what you should do about them:

1) My crown fell out.

This is usually a result biting into some great holiday treat or some awful fruitcake that has been passed on from year to year.  Regardless of the cause, you should head on over to your local pharmacy and get yourself some den-temp or similarmaterial.  It’s pretty easy to apply.  First of all, try to refit the crown on the tooth to make sure it still fits properly.  Bite down to make certain it feels comfortable when you bite down and doesn't hit first. Secondly, clean it out as best you can.  Finally, you want to swallow all the extra saliva out of your mouth and place the crown back onto your tooth. It should be fine until you can come in to see us.

2) “I have a toothache.”

Toothache carries a lot of different meanings.  If it’s a constant dull throb in your mouth, you probably have an infection.  You’ll need to call us so that we can prescribe an antibiotic to you.  If you have a lot of cold sensitivity, go to your pharmacy and pick up a tube of Sensodyne.  Put a generous amount on your finger tip and rub it into the affected area.  After two or three applications, your sensitivity should go away.  If you can’t bite into things, your tooth may be cracked.  Give us a call and stay away from biting on things that hurt that tooth until you can see us.

3) “My tooth cracked in half.”

If you fractured your tooth, you first have to evaluate it to see if its something that you need to come in for.  If the tooth cracked as a result of a traumatic incident  (ie. a ball or elbow to the face), there may be a lot of bleeding that is around the damaged area.  If there is bleeding coming from the inside of the tooth, this means you have fractured the tooth into the nerve and you need to see a dentist immediately.  If the bleeding comes from just your gum area AND your tooth doesn't move around, you are probably going to be ok to wait a bit.  However, it cases of traumatic injury, we like to see our patients, even if it’s after hours, so we can take proactive measures to avoid pain.

Remember, one of our doctors is always on call for you.  Feel free to check our website for more dental emergencies and don’t hesitate to call us if you are uncertain about your situation.

Posted by Go Dental, Your Valencia Dentist