When it comes to your health and your life, you usually know when it’s time to go to the emergency room. If you break your arm from falling, for example, you go to the hospital. But what if something traumatic happens to your mouth? How do you know if it’s an emergency?
A dental emergency is any type of trauma to your mouth, gums, jaw, or teeth that’s causing pain, such as a broken tooth or getting a tooth knocked out. An emergency includes any injury or incident that affects the appearance of your mouth, prevents you from eating or talking, or keeps you from doing normal tasks due to the pain.
Did you know that it’s possible for your New Albany dentist to restore a tooth that you’ve knocked out if you come in quickly and know what to do before you get here? This is one of many reasons to come to New Albany Implants office if you have an emergency! We’ll treat you the same day, often immediately!
Here are some common dental emergencies and what you should do if they happen to you or someone you know. (We encourage you to print this, bookmark it in your internet browser, and share it with your family!)
Help! I Have a Broken or Cracked Tooth
If you break or crack your tooth, rinse out your mouth with warm water to keep it clean and call us right away, even if you aren’t in pain. Your tooth is at risk of cracking or breaking even more, so it’s important that you see us immediately! Before you get here, you can put a cold compress on your face where your tooth is at; this will help with any swelling.
Help! I Knocked Out My Tooth
If you’ve knocked out your tooth due to an accident or a sports injury, call us immediately so that we can see you as soon as possible! We might be able to restore your tooth depending on the damage and how much of your tooth structure is left.
Here is what you should do before you get here: KEEP YOUR TOOTH – do NOT throw it away! If it’s dirty, rinse it in warm water, but don’t clean it or remove anything from it. If possible, try to hold it in its socket carefully until you get here. If you can’t do that, put it in a cup or container of milk or in spit, if you don’t have milk. If you have any swelling, use a cold compress.
Help! I Have a Toothache
If your tooth is causing you pain, rinse your mouth out with warm water and apply a cold compress to help with the swelling. Give us a call to describe your pain. And don’t put any pain medication or alcohol on your tooth, because it can burn your gums.
Help! My Dentures Are Broken
Our in-house lab can help you if you have broken or cracked dentures! Call us as soon as possible, and bring them with you so that we can help you repair them. We also have same-day implant solutions like Teeth in One Day that might want to consider, too.
Help! There’s Something Stuck in My Tooth
If this happens to you, try to get it out carefully with dental floss. If you can’t, give us a call as soon as possible.
Help! I Think I Have a Broken Jaw
If you think you broke your jaw, put a cold compress on it and go to the hospital or call 911 immediately.
Help! I’m Having Problems Breathing
If you can’t breath well, call 911 right away or get to the closest hospital immediately.
Help! I’m in Severe Pain
If your mouth is in a lot of pain from one of the reasons above, call us immediately and let us know what’s going on. If we aren’t available to assess whether you need to see us, or if your pain is from something other than what we’ve mentioned, then go to a hospital or call 911 immediately.
We Can Help with Your Dental Emergency in New Albany
It doesn’t matter why you have a dental emergency – even if you feel embarrassed that it was your fault, we aren’t here to lecture you about your mouth but to help you get your mouth back to normal as soon as possible!
If you or a loved one has a dental emergency, give us a call immediately at 812-945-SMILE, no matter the time of day! We’re open with early and regular hours every day except for weekends, but we reserve special hours for emergencies at night and on the weekends, too. We can also help provide some information during your visit that may help you prevent future emergencies!