Emergency Dentist Chesapeake Virginia
Most of us realize that we should see a dentist immediately when we have a toothache or any painful injury to our mouth. Day or night, dental emergencies, such as teeth knocked out of their sockets or teeth that have been cracked or broken, should be attended to promptly by a dentist.
If one of your teeth should be knocked out by some accident, you should quickly locate the tooth, gently clean off all debris and dirt, and carefully place it between your gums and cheek to keep it naturally moist. Try to get in to see us as quickly as possible to see if we can put it back in the socket.
If you have just experienced a tooth that has slipped out of place, as an ordinary course, you can probably take your fingers and temporarily reposition it. Remember, you should never force a loosened tooth back in place since it could cause damage, but instead, try to jiggle it around slightly lightly.
Until you can get to the dentist as quickly as possible, you could use some moist tissue to keep it in as good a position as possible.
A tooth that has been fractured is another, more serious situation, and how badly it has been fractured is the determining factor of what treatment will be required. It is of the utmost importance that you get to a dentist as soon as possible, no matter how light the fracture!
Your dentist can probably use dental sandpaper to smooth out the fracture if it is only minor as an ordinary course of action. In other, more serious cases, the affected tooth can be restored using a composite. You will certainly need to ensure that you use extreme caution to protect the tooth for several days after its repair in either scenario.
In the case of more moderate fractures, such as damage to the enamel, pulp, or dentin, there are sometimes no serious worries involved, yet there can be quite a bit of pain in other cases. Your dentist should be able to restore the complete function and full shape of the fractured tooth if the pulp remains undamaged. However, they might need to do some painful surgery or even a root canal procedure to restore the affected tooth if there has been much damage to the pulp.
It would be best never to hesitate to contact your dentist as soon as possible whenever you encounter a dental emergency because they will be able to come to your aide, make the pain go away, and solve your dental problem.
Since these types of emergencies can happen at any time, you should always have an emergency contact number of a reliable dentist who can be ready to assist you at any sign of a dental emergency since something like tooth pain can be very excruciating, getting the problem attended to will be of the utmost importance immediately.
Types of Dental Emergencies
So, what constitutes a dental emergency? When a toothache or another dental emergency strikes, the emergency dentists at Chesapeake Center for Complete Dentistry are trained to respond by connecting you with a dentist who can give prompt relief quickly. We handle a wide range of emergency dental issues, including:
- Toothaches– Severe pain is a sign that something is amiss. The longer you wait, the more difficult (and expensive) the solution. Hopefully, rinsing out your mouth with warm saltwater will dislodge any trapped food between your teeth. If you are experiencing facial swelling, use a cold compress and acetaminophen for temporary relief.
- Cut Tongue, Lip, or Cheek– For bleeding, apply pressure with sterile gauze to reduce the chances of infection and complication. Use your better judgment; contact an emergency room if the cut looks significant, and the bleeding does not seem to be subsiding.
- Broken, Cracked, or Chipped Tooth– Not sure what to do for a broken tooth? Start by rinsing the area with warm water. Place a cold compress over the site of the injury. If you can, recover any broken tooth fragments. Save the tooth fragment and rinse both your mouth and the salvaged tooth pieces with warm water.
- Knocked Out Permanent Tooth– Recover the tooth and hold it by the crown (top), not the root. Rinse, but do not over-cleaning or over-handling. Put and hold the tooth in place using a clean gauze or cloth. If reinsertion is impossible, carry the tooth in a cup of milk or water. Stopping the bleeding is most important. Please don’t remove any attached tissue, and they help re-secure the tooth!
- Broken Wires and Braces– If a wire breaks or sticks out of a bracket in your braces and pokes around your mouth, try and push it to a non-bothersome position. If you can’t do this, add a cotton swab until you reach the dentist. Leave the wire as is. You may swallow it if cut.
- Cold, Canker Sores, and Abscesses– Over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen can also provide temporary relief. Use only as directed. An abscess is a severe infection typically occurs in the gum-line around the teeth. If left alone, infections might spread to the body. Visit your emergency dentist as soon as possible if you discover pain or swelling in the gums.
To expedite your care, Chesapeake Center for Complete Dentistry also recommends adding 757-381-6876 to your contacts so that, if an emergency happens, you can reach us immediately. Keeping our information handy will not only help you save valuable time; it could be significant in helping to rescue an injured tooth.
Other Dental Emergencies
If any other peculiar symptoms or pain persists, or you are wondering where to go for a dental emergency, please call us to help determine if you need to come into our practice or to the emergency room. With emergency dental care, you can spend less time worrying if the dentist is open and more time fixing the problem at hand!