Weekend Dentist
Weekend Dentist | Your child is involved in a collision while playing sports or riding a bike. Or you lose a filling or fracture a tooth. No matter the cause, dental emergencies can occur at any time. But it always seems to happen on a weekend, right? If you or a family member should ever have a dental emergency, you will need to know what to do until you can reach the dentist.
Missing Tooth
Having a tooth get knocked out is a frequent occurrence. Fortunately, most such teeth can be replaced if you reach your dentist or emergency dentist in time.
In the meantime:
- Pick up the knocked out tooth by touching only the crown, or chewing surface part of the tooth.
- Rinse it carefully with water and place it in a container of milk if available.
- Contact your dentist right away for the best chance of saving the tooth.
Bleeding Gums
Gums can bleed for a variety of reasons, and the cause of the bleeding will determine if it qualifies as a dental emergency or not.
If your gums typically bleed when you brush or floss, this could indicate the development of gum disease. Although you definitely want to get it checked out by your dentist, it can probably wait, as gum disease is a chronic infection.
On the other hand, if you suddenly experience bleeding gums after some type of trauma, like a vehicle accident or sports injury, you will definitely want to contact your dentist right away. They will want to have a look to ensure that your teeth are not severely damaged, risking an infection.
Severe Tooth Pain
If you have recently undergone a dental procedure, such as root canal therapy, it is not uncommon to experience some degree of discomfort or pain for awhile. Over-the-counter pain medication is usually sufficient to make you more comfortable. However, other types of tooth pain represent a dental emergency.
If you have suddenly developed sensitivity to hot or cold temperatures in your mouth, this is a cause for concern. Schedule an appointment at your earliest convenience. If you are experiencing severe tooth pain, this is always an emergency. Contact us as soon as possible so that we can provide prompt pain relief and take care of the underlying problem.
Preventing Dental Emergencies
Although there is no such thing as perfect safety, there are a number of ways that you can prevent dental emergencies. Here are a few:
- Avoid chewing on extremely hard foods or ice.
- When playing sports, wearing a mouth guard.
- Keep up with your routine dental cleaning appointments.
If you would like to request additional information about dental emergencies, please reach out to us.