If you’ve knocked out a tooth, or hurt your gums or teeth in Jackson’s Point, contact a dentist immediately for emergency dental treatment—emergency treatment is an essential part of dentistry and your local dentist can help.

What to Do When Your Tooth Is Knocked Out

No matter how it happens—sporting mishap, accident, a bad fall—the immediate treatment for a knocked-out tooth is the same. Find it, rinse it off in water or milk, and rush to the dentist. If possible, place the tooth back in its socket for the trip. If more than one tooth was knocked out or the pain makes it impossible to place the tooth back in the proper socket, then place the teeth under your tongue. If that’s also impossible, fill a container with saline solution or milk and rush to the dentist immediately. Absolutely do not scrub your tooth to clean it.

It is essential that you try to make it to the dentist within 30 minutes of losing the tooth. If you can make it within a half hour, there’s a greater chance of successfully re-implanting the tooth. If it takes longer than a half hour, the chance of success begins to dwindle.

Toothaches

A common cause of toothaches and swollen gums is a piece of food that has worked its way between the teeth or under the gums. If you can’t see anything, try flossing the area or brushing with your toothbrush. If that hurts too much, try rinsing with warm water.

If the pain can be managed by an over-the-counter pain reliever, wait until the next day to call your dentist. If the pain becomes unbearable, it may be time to seek emergency dental treatment since you could be facing something more serious, like an infection or an exposed nerve that would require a root canal.

Cracked or Broken Teeth

Cracked or broken teeth can be tricky to diagnose. There may be blinding pain for some people and not even a twinge for others. You may not even notice a crack or break until you look in the mirror.

One way to diagnose a probable cracked tooth is to keep a record of when tooth pain begins. If you can bite into food without pain but feel a twinge as soon as you release the bite, there’s a good chance your tooth could have a small crack. Pain when you drink or eat hot or cold food could also be a sign of a crack in your tooth.

When you do notice damage, rinse the area with warm water to remove any fragments or food that has built up in the area. Even if you haven’t felt any pain, it’s important to visit your dentist. If you don’t have a dentist, call your Jackson’s Point dentist and explain that you’re a new patient.

Your dentist may be able to fix your broken tooth or may recommend pulling the tooth instead. Modern dentistry offers high-tech solutions like dental implant surgery to ensure that you’ll keep your natural-looking smile.

If you’re in Jackson’s Point and need emergency dental treatment, immediately visit a dental office that offers emergency dentistry.