Dental Emergencies

If you suspect an urgent medical emergency, please dial 911 or take your child to an emergency room.

What to Do in Urgent Dental Emergencies or Situations

Bitten cheek, lip, or tongue:

• Clean the bite gently with water
• Apply a cold compress (a cold, wet towel or washcloth pressed firmly against the area) to reduce or avoid swelling.
• Give us a call to help determine how serious the bite is.

Object caught in teeth:

• First try to remove the object using dental floss.
• Never use a metal, plastic, or sharp tool to remove a stuck object.
• If you are unable to remove the item with dental floss, give us a call.

Knocked-out tooth:

• Time matters. Try to visit one of our offices as soon as possible — within 15–20 minutes is ideal.
• It is important to keep and preserve the tooth. Pick up the tooth by the crown, not the root.
• If the tooth is dirty, gently rinse with warm water but do not scrub. Leave any tissue fragments in place.
• If possible, try to reinsert the tooth carefully into the socket.
• If not, place the tooth in a Tooth Preservation Kit, or in milk or water with a pinch of salt.

Loose tooth:

• A loose baby tooth is normal and expected. A loose permanent tooth requires attention.
• Do not try to pull the permanent tooth out at home.
• If your child’s permanent tooth didn’t loosen naturally, have a dentist examine it to determine the right course of action.

Cracked or broken tooth:

• Collect any tooth fragments and bring them to your dentist.
• Rinse the area inside the mouth with warm water.
• Take your child to one of our offices as soon as possible — we may be able to bond the fragment back to the tooth.

Toothache:

• Make sure the mouth is clean and nothing is stuck between the teeth by gently brushing or flossing,
• Rinse with warm water.
• Mild pain can be managed with appropriate pain relief until you can get your child to our office.

Suspected fractured jaw:

• This is a medical emergency. Go to the nearest emergency room immediately.
• Try to keep the jaw from moving by using a towel or cloth to immobilize it.
• A cold compress (ice wrapped in cloth) will help keep swelling down.

Signs of a fractured jaw include:

• Unable to open or close the mouth normally
• Jaw appears to uneven or shifted to one side when opening
• Uneven teeth that appear different from before the accident, or inability to close the teeth together properly.