What To Do In Case of a Dental Emergency?

Posted on by Northfield Dental Group
Dental Emergency

Knowing what to do in case of a dental emergency can mean the difference between saving and losing a tooth. The first and most important thing to do is to call your dentist immediately. Most dentists offer emergency dental services and instructions on what to do. In this blog post, the trusted team at Northfield Dental Group offers some important tips on how to deal with common dental emergencies.

What Is a Dental Emergency?

Dental emergencies are dental situations requiring immediate medical attention, including:

  • Bleeding from the mouth
  • Severe pain
  • Loose or knocked out tooth
  • Swelling in the face or mouth
  • Trauma to the jaw
  • Bulges, swelling or knots in the gums

Knocked-out Tooth

Pick up the knocked-out tooth by its crown (top). Rinse the tooth off gently and avoid scrubbing or removing any tissue attached to it. If you can, place the tooth gently back into the socket and hold it in place while biting down. If you can’t put the tooth back into its socket, put it in a cup of milk while you await medical attention.

Cracked or Fractured Tooth

Rinse out your mouth gently with warm water. If the tooth fracture is caused by facial trauma, apply a cold compress to the area to minimize swelling. Take acetaminophen, not aspirin, to alleviate pain.

Tissue Injury and Facial Pain

Puncture wounds, lacerations and tears to the cheeks, mouth and tongue are dental emergencies. The first thing you should do is clean the area with warm water. Apply pressure on the wound using gauze. To minimize facial pain, you can take acetaminophen as directed on the bottle.

Broken Jaw or Swelling

If you have suffered trauma to the jaw or suspect that it is broken, apply a cold compress to control the swelling while you await emergency medical attention.

Northfield Dental understands that emergencies can occur at any time. If you suffer a lost tooth or another form of dental emergency, call our office immediately. If you call us outside of normal business hours, our phone message system will refer you to call our on-call emergency dentist.

To contact Northfield Dental Group, please call (973) 736-0111.