If something major happens to a tooth or teeth, it’s natural to feel a bit panicked. However, it’s important to keep your head and stay as calm as possible so you can get it fixed. A dental emergency can be a variety of things. One of the most common is extreme toothache, which could be a sign of a cavity or root canal issue. Getting a tooth knocked out, chipped, or broken also constitutes a dental emergency. In addition, if you have a broken dental restoration, contact Morristown Cosmetic Dentistry as soon as possible.
Common Dental Emergencies
Please call our Morristown, NJ, dental office at (973) 287-3337 so we can get you in our office as soon as possible. After you call us, this is what you should do for each type of dental emergency:
Tooth pain: Take over-the-counter pain medications like ibuprofen to try and control the pain. You can also wrap ice in a clean cloth and hold it against the area that hurts. Take care not to eat anything that will irritate it more, and try to chew on the opposite side of your mouth.
Knocked-out tooth: When this happens, take a damp cloth and apply pressure to the gum to stop the bleeding. If you can locate the tooth, pick it up by the crown and avoid touching the tooth root. Rinse the tooth off gently and put it in a glass of milk or your own saliva. If we can get you in within a couple of hours, there is a chance the tooth can be saved.
Broken dental restoration: Do not attempt to replace the restoration on your own. Especially with dental crowns, you can end up causing more damage to your tooth. If you can find the broken restoration, bring it with you to our office. We will help you to figure out the best solution for a replacement.
Object lodged between teeth: If there’s something large stuck between your teeth, gently floss to try and get it out. This may be able to get it loose. If you’re unable to do so, don’t try to remove it with anything else. You risk hurting your gums and the teeth around the object.