Sometimes accidents happen and you need to see your dentist sooner than your next scheduled appointment. If you need emergency dental care, call us immediately at (269) 329-1880 and we will get you in as soon as we can. Here are some examples of dental emergencies:
- Dental abscess
- Deeply cracked tooth
- Knocked-out tooth
- Damage to the soft tissue of your mouth
Emergency Dentistry: What to Do
The first step is to stay calm. Panicking and overreacting will only make matters worse. The next steps depend on what the emergency is. If your emergency is life-threatening, go to the hospital right now. Serious medical issues like these are best addressed by hospital staff. If your life is not in danger, you’ll want to call your dentist instead of going to the ER or urgent care because they generally don’t hire dentists.
If the soft tissue of your mouth is damaged and your mouth is bleeding, rinse your mouth out with warm water so you can see what is bleeding and then apply pressure with gauze. If you have a dental abscess, which would look like a pimple in your gums, do not pop it and wait for your dentist. This is a sign of an infected root and popping it can help the bacteria spread more easily.
For a knocked-out tooth, if you can find it, be sure to pick it up by the crown and not the root. Rinse your tooth, but be sure to completely cover the drain. Only rinse it with water, any kind of soap or other cleaner can damage the tooth. To transport it safely to the dentist you want to keep it moist so you could fit it back in the socket or in a glass of milk. Putting the tooth in water will cause the root to swell and eventually burst.
Call Us Today!
If you have a dental emergency, give us a call as soon as possible at (269) 329-1880. You can also schedule an appointment if you can wait to get your dental condition addressed.