What should you do when a tooth is injured or in pain? In these situations, you may need to see our team for emergency dentistry. We can see you right away and address the injuries and sources of discomfort. In today’s blog, your Grand Prairie, TX, dentist talks about how we protect smiles with emergency dentistry and when to reach out to us for an appointment. Knowing how to respond and when to see our team can help you avoid discomfort down the road, as well as the risk of tooth loss and other major complications. We can also discuss options to protect your smile, such as the use of a custom athletic mouthguard!
Examples of a Dental Emergency
We refer to any serious injury to your teeth or gums as a dental emergency. If you have an injury that is potentially life threatening, we urge you to call 911 or proceed to the nearest emergency room. Otherwise, contact our team for a visit. Even if the issue happens outside of normal business hours, give us a call and will reach out to you with an appointment time. The sooner we address the issue, the less likely you are to develop painful symptoms and complications. Examples of dental emergencies include chipped or cracked teeth, or ones that have been knocked loose or out completely. Sudden unexplained pain could be a cause for concern, as could an object caught between teeth that floss cannot remove. If a filling or crown is loose or missing, or if a dental prosthetic has been damaged, let us know right away.
Easing Your Discomfort
You can take steps to help ease your discomfort until you can see our team for treatment. You can take an over-the-counter pain reliever, and also use a bit of cloth or gauze to stem any bleeding. Applying a cold compress or ice pack to the side of your face can reduce swelling too. If a tooth is chipped or broken, then try to recover any pieces and bring them with you to the office. If you can’t, don’t worry, we can still repair the tooth. If you sustain an injury to the tooth and no damage is visible, consider an appointment anyway as fractures are often invisible to the naked eye, but could still cause the onset of cavities. If a filling or crown is damaged or missing, avoid very hot or cold foods and drinks and stay away from items high in sugar, as the exposed tooth is very sensitive.
Should you have a bit of food caught between the teeth, never use anything other than floss to try and dislodge it, as you risk damage to the teeth or gums. If a tooth is knocked out, then pick it up by the crown, ever touch the root. Place it under gently running water to remove foreign debris, but keep any tissues in place. You can put the tooth in a glass of milk or salt water and bring it with you to the office.
Repairing Teeth
When you arrive, our team will examine your smile with digital x-rays to make a diagnosis with precision and plan treatment with accuracy. For minor injuries, we could use dental bonding to repair the tooth in only one visit. If you have a more substantial injury to a tooth, we could use a custom crown to offer repair that blends with your smile. This helps prevent the onset of tooth decay and infection, so your smile looks good and you avoid major complications. If you come in with a tooth knocked out completely, we could return it to its place in your smile. In situations where a tooth has been lost and could not be recovered, we could discuss bridges to replace your missing teeth, or even advanced dental implants.
Replacing Restorations or Prosthetics
If a crown or filling is loose or lost, we can replace it with a new one. Likewise, we can repair or replace compromised dental prosthetics, and address damage to orthodontic aligners or braces. This helps you continue treatment without interruption, and offers protection for your tooth from issues like cavities and infection.
Custom Mouthguards
We want to help you smile with confidence and avoid injury when possible. Which is why we recommend a custom athletic mouthguard for patients and their kids who play full contact sports, martial arts, or who take boxing lessons. These custom mouthguards are designed to fit your smile and provide a greater level of protection than your standard boil-and-bite options found at sporting goods stores. These are easy to clean and use, and limit the risk of damaged or knocked-out teeth. Enjoying good oral health also helps safeguard your smile, as teeth free of decay and gums free of disease are stronger and help limit the risk of injury to the teeth or them being knocked loose or out completely. To help protect your smile, we recommend daily brushing and flossing, and also visits every six months for a checkup and cleaning.
If you have any questions about our approach to emergency dentistry, or if you have an aching or injured tooth that needs attention, then contact our team right away. You can apso schedule your first checkup and cleaning visit of 2025 now, so you can start a new year on the path to a brighter and healthy smile!
Schedule a Visit for Emergency Dentistry
Our team offers dental emergency care to help smiles avoid major oral health complications, so don’t delay, give us a call when you sustain an injury to your smile. Fast action can help keep your smile whole and allow you to avoid painful symptoms. For more information on how we safeguard your smile against injury or how we offer lifelike repair for your teeth, then schedule an appointment with Dr. Smith and our team by calling Pecan Tree Dental in Grand Prairie, TX, today at (972) 262-5111.
