Emergency Dentistry
Urgent Solutions for Dental Pain
Dental emergencies usually happen when you least expect them, so you should already have a plan in place for what to do if your smile is injured or in pain. Have our number at the ready so that you can call Holliston Complete Dentistry for emergency dental care. Not only do we have the means to treat various oral health issues in-house, but we also treat every patient like their own individual. We’ll always follow up with you to make sure that your recovery is going well.
Why Choose Holliston Complete Dentistry for Emergency Dentistry?
- Variety of Advanced Procedures In-House
- Oral Conscious Dental Sedation Available
- Team That Cares About Patients as Individuals
How to Handle Common Dental Emergencies
The way you first respond to a dental emergency can make all the difference in preventing the worst-case scenario. After you’ve called for your appointment, it will be up to you to perform any necessary first aid to keep the situation under control. You can’t afford to lose much time during an actual emergency, of course, so it helps to take the time to learn about dental first-aid for common situations so that you can act quickly and appropriately.
Toothaches
See if you can resolve the situation by brushing and flossing around the tooth; there might be something caught in your smile. For pain that doesn’t go away, take ibuprofen or a similar kind of over-the-counter medication for temporary relief. A cold compress should be applied if you notice any swelling, which is likely to accompany a toothache caused by infection.
Chipped/ Broken Tooth
Have the tooth examined immediately even if it doesn’t hurt. Avoid biting or chewing with the tooth in question to avoid making the damage worse. If there are any pieces of the tooth that have broken off, gather as many as possible and bring them with you to your appointment.
Knocked-Out Tooth
Losing a tooth is one of the most common dental emergencies. When it happens, you need to recover the tooth immediately (without touching the root), rinse off any dirt, and then put it back in its socket or else store it in a container of milk. We can save a dislodged tooth, but the odds of success will be higher the sooner you get to our dental office.
Lost Filling/ Crown
Locate the restoration as soon as you can to avoid losing or swallowing it. It’s possible to keep a lost crown in place with sugarless gum or dental cement, but this is only meant to help keep the tooth safe until the restoration can either be permanently reattached or replaced altogether.
Head/ Neck/ Jaw Pain
Persistent pain in the head, neck, or jaw can be a dental emergency if it’s linked to a TMJ disorder. You can protect your jaw joints by not eating hard or crunchy foods, and you can find temporary relief with over-the-counter pain medications as well as a cold compress held over the affected area.
Preventing Dental Emergencies
- Practice good oral hygiene every day. Brush your teeth twice daily, and pay close attention to the gumline and hard-to-reach areas of the mouth. Don’t forget to floss.
- Visit our dental office every six months for an examination and cleaning of the teeth and gums.
- Take note of any bad habits that can damage teeth. Avoid chewing your fingernails, crunching ice, or similar behaviors.
- Do not treat your teeth as tools. Instead of using them to open packages or containers, look for a tool designed to do the job properly.
The Cost of Dental Emergencies
Once you’ve gotten past the initial shock and pain of a dental emergency, you’ll probably be worried about how much the treatment will cost. Obviously, an emergency that is resolved with a simple restoration such as a filling will carry a different cost than one that leads to an extraction. An estimate will be provided before we ask you to commit to any form of treatment. We will make it a point to only recommend treatments that are deemed necessary to save your teeth or otherwise protect your oral health as a whole.
Dental Emergency FAQs
Are you wondering if your toothache will go away on its own? Are you curious what to do with a knocked-out tooth? No matter what your dental emergency-related questions are, they are welcome here – we want to help! In addition to getting in touch with our team via phone or the contact form on our website, you can find out the answers to common questions on the topic right here!
Do chipped teeth heal?
Although enamel is incredibly durable, it can’t regenerate on its own. In other words, no, chipped teeth cannot heal on their own. The good news is that there are several restorative and cosmetic dental treatments that can restore the missing structure of your tooth, like veneers!
Will my toothache go away on its own?
If your toothache is the result of something temporary, such as your teeth being moved into their properly aligned positions with braces, then it will likely dissipate on its own. If, on the other hand, your toothache is the result of tooth decay, gum disease, a loose restoration, or another serious dental problem, then it will not – you need to schedule an appointment with our dentist, Dr. Saba K. Abernethy . Once she’s pinpointed the root of the problem with X-rays and an oral exam, she will create a custom treatment plan to restore your pain-free smile.
Should knocked-out teeth be placed in water?
No. The reason why is because preserving the root is of the utmost importance, and water can damage the root surface cells of teeth. If you knock out a tooth, you should instead place it in a clean container that’s filled with milk. If that’s not available, then you can attempt to put the tooth back in its socket (only if it slides back into position without force).
Can superglue be used to repair broken dentures?
Superglue shouldn’t be used to repair broken dentures or any other restorations. Remember, household adhesives like this contain toxins that shouldn’t be ingested. The best thing to do in this situation is call our Holliston dental team to find out the quickest way to have your dentures repaired or replaced.
What does chronic bad breath mean?
If there is a foul odor on your breath, it may be due to your diet, like eating onions or drinking coffee excessively. Similarly, it might be the result of a poor oral hygiene regimen, which is why it’s so important to brush, floss, and rinse with mouthwash consistently.
Of course, there is also a chance that your bad breath is the result of something a bit deeper, like gum disease. For that reason, we recommend scheduling an exam with us if the odor lingers even after avoiding pungent foods, implementing a solid oral hygiene routine, and using mints. This will ensure we can pinpoint (and treat!) the source sooner rather than later.