Dental emergencies can strike at any time, especially if you participate in contact sports. You never want an injury to your mouth, as this can affect your smile for the rest of your life. A broken, cracked, chipped, or knocked-out tooth can lead to tooth loss, crooked teeth and oral health problems if those dental emergencies aren’t helped right away. Find out what injuries to the mouth constitute a dental emergency, when to see the dentist and what to do right when a dental emergency happens!

Dental Emergencies: Common Situations and Instructions

Knowing what to do when dental emergencies strike can help you remain calm and avoid permanent conditions. Here are some of the most common situations that occur and what you can do:

• Toothache.  Toothaches are one of the most common dental emergencies parents/patients face. Pain can range from moderate to severe.  The action plan for a toothache often depends on if the pain is persistent and if you know what is causing the pain. Erupting teeth will often cause toothaches, but do not require an office visit and can usually be treated with over-the-counter pain relievers.  Toothaches related to broken teeth, tooth decay or tooth trauma DO need to be evaluated by Dr. Parker.
  • What to do: 1) Clean the painful area with warm water; 2) avoid applying heat to the tooth or the area around the tooth; 3) Look to see if any food has gotten trapped and remove it with floss, a proxy brush, or a toothbrush if you can see it; 4) Apply an ice pack to the aching area to help reduce swelling and pain; 5) Contact our office.

• Knocked out permanent tooth.  If you or your child has a tooth knocked out, you should report this injury immediately, even if it is a baby tooth. Neighboring teeth could have sustained injuries and you want to make sure no damage was inflicted on the roots of permanent teeth. Certain injuries will allow for reimplantation of a lost permanent tooth, but time is critical for this to occur successfully.
  • What to do: 1) Locate the lost tooth.  Try not to touch the roots, only touch the crown of the tooth; 2) Without scrubbing or scraping,  carefully clean the tooth with water; 3) You can reinsert the tooth back into its original location using gentle force or have them keep the tooth in their mouth against their cheek while you travel to –only attempt this with older children. Younger children run the risk of swallowing the tooth.  With younger children, you can place the tooth in milk or saliva until you reach our office. 4) Keep the tooth moist while you are in route to our office. Moisture is key for re-implantation success; 5) If it is after hours and you are unable to contact a member of do not wait. Take your child to the emergency room to save the tooth.  The chances of re-implantation success will greatly diminish after one hour.

• Knocked Out Baby Tooth.  Chances are this is not a true emergency and no treatment will be necessary, however, call our office for a consult.

• Tooth displacement.  A displaced tooth is one that has been hit with enough force become loose but has not been knocked out completely.  A displaced tooth may be partly removed from its socket and needs to be treated with care. How you treat this situation depends on if the tooth was a permanent tooth or a primary tooth.  Primary teeth tend to heal on their own or will just fall out in time without medical intervention. Permanent teeth will need attention–even if they have only been displaced slightly–to make sure the tooth doesn’t get infected and to ensure the tooth isn’t in danger of dying.

• Broken tooth.  Contact us immediately if you break a tooth.  Dental emergencies, like a knocked out tooth, require your quick action to determine if you save or lose this tooth and can help you avoid infection and more invasive dental treatment.  
  • What to do:  1) Rinse the mouth with water and apply a cold compresses to help reduce swelling; 2)  Locate and save any broken tooth fragments and bring them with you to our office.

• Root fracture.  Root fractures are tricky injuries because the injury is usually undetectable without a dental x-ray.  A root fracture occurs from direct trauma to the tooth. It is always better to rule out a root fracture if you have any concerns that one might be present.  Ignoring a root fracture can cause you to lose the tooth. Dr. Parker can confirm a root fracture with dental x-rays.  If he finds that a root fracture is present, treatment will depend on the positioning of the fracture and how much pain you are in.   The tooth will be monitored, treated, or extracted–as a worst case scenario.
  • What to do: 1) Place a cold compress on the area of discomfort/injury; 2) Administer dentist-approved pain relief; and 3) Contact us for further instructions.

• Dental concussion. A tooth that has received a good hit, but has not been displaced or knocked out is called “concussed.” Dental concussion injuries are very common in toddlers who tend to fall more often/easily.  Dental concussion can cause permanent or temporary tooth discoloration depending on the severity of the concussion. If you notice the tooth darkening in color it is usually an indication that the tooth is dying and that it may need root canal therapy. Most dental concussion injuries are not true dental emergencies and do not require emergency treatment, but should be reported to our office.

• Tongue, Lip, or Mouth Laceration (cut).  The soft tissue of the lips and tongue make injury to those areas quite common. If you suffer an injury to your tongue, mouth or lip, don’t panic.  Assess for the seriousness of the laceration. To do this, you will need to get a good look at the cut.
  • What to do: 1) clean the injured surfaces with mild soapy water and a soft, clean cloth. (To clean cuts inside the mouth, rinse with salt water); 2) If your lip is discolored or swollen, apply a cold compress.  If bleeding is present, apply pressure with a clean cloth for at least five minutes. Applying ice can help reduce pain, swelling, and bleeding. Wrap crushed ice in clean gauze/cloth and hold it to the affected area.  Seek immediate care if: 1) Bleeding cannot be controlled with pressure and a cold compress; 2) You have a deep cut that crosses the border between the lip and facial skin; 3) The lip is punctured; 4) If an infection develops after an injury.

Call for a Emergency Dental Care Appointment

If you are experiencing a dental emergency, or think you may be, don’t hesitate to call  Premier Dentistry of Eagle at 208-546-0655 today to schedule an appointment.  When it comes to your teeth, fast-acting is key. Dr. Shane S. Porter is pleased to provide comprehensive dental treatments to meet all of your dental needs and desires. No matter your dental needs, we are dedicated to helping you achieve a healthy, beautiful, pain-free smile that makes you want to share it with others!