Issues that Warrant a Visit to Your Emergency Dentist

An abscess is an infection in the nerve or between tooth and gum — a bacterial invasion of your body. If it spreads, you can be in a world of hurt. Rinsing your mouth several times a day with warm, lightly-salted water makes a great temporary pain reducer, but these rarely go away on their own, so come to the office.

If you chip or break a tooth, collect every piece in a container with milk — lightly-salted water if milk is not available. Your dentist can often rebuild the tooth, but time is of the essence, so call us immediately.

If your tooth is dislodged (completely or partially) there’s good news — you haven’t lost it yet! Put a cold compress on a loose tooth; clean a lost tooth (gently, don’t touch the root!) and put it in milk (or lightly-salted water) then rush to the dentist. Again, time is vital; quick treatment is your best chance of keeping the tooth alive.

When food or some other junk gets caught between teeth, try dental floss (thread, water or air varieties all good) to dislodge the object. Don’t use a pin, knife blade or other sharp edges. If floss fails, it’s emergency dentist time.

If you’ve lost a crown or a filling save it! Use toothpaste or denture adhesive to get a crown back in place temporarily — never use superglue! A lost filling isn’t so severe an emergency. Use sugarless gum (believe it or not) or over the counter dental adhesive to hold the filling in and schedule a visit as soon as you can for a permanent fix.

 

Dental Issues that Don’t Require an Emergency Appointment

If it’s just a bad toothache (as opposed to a good toothache?), rinse your mouth with warm salt water and use dental floss to remove food bits. If there’s swelling, put a cold compress on the outside of the mouth or cheek. Never put aspirin or other painkillers against gums, you can burn gum tissue. If pain doesn’t subside quickly, call our office.

Proper dental hygiene will prevent most infections, toothaches, and food bits! Whatever the reason, East Indy Dental should be your emergency dentist of choice, as well as your choice for all not-an-emergency dental services.