Emergency Dentistry – Chardon, OH

Common Dental Emergencies

There are many different oral health issues, and sometimes it can be unclear which are truly emergencies. Call us immediately if you have any concerns and are uncertain about what you should do next.

Emergencies that involve a broken jawbone or unstoppable bleeding should first be handled by the nearest emergency room. We can take care of your dental concerns after you’ve been treated.

Below are some tips for dealing with some of the more common dental emergencies.

Toothaches

If the toothache is caused by a bit of food stuck in your smile, you can sometimes relieve the pain on your own by flossing. In other cases, however, there may be an infection that requires treatment. You can keep yourself comfortable with ice packs and over-the-counter pain medications until your emergency appointment.

Chipped/ Broken Tooth

When a tooth is chipped or broken in an accident, avoid putting pressure on it until you get to our dental office. Cover any jagged or rough edges with dental wax. If you notice any bleeding, hold a piece of gauze over the wound until it stops. If you must eat, avoid hard or crunchy foods.

Knocked-Out Tooth

There is a limited time frame during which we can attempt to replant a tooth. Call us immediately and get to our dental office in less than an hour if you can. You can preserve a lost tooth by putting it back in its socket or storing it in a container of milk. When handling it, only touch the top part that most people see when you smile.

Lost Filling/Crown

You will need a professional’s help to permanently resolve this issue, but you can temporarily replace a lost restoration by using toothpaste as an adhesive. If the restoration can’t be placed back on the tooth, apply clove oil to the exposed area to reduce sensitivity. Be gentle with the tooth at all times, and avoid extremely hot or cold foods.

Tips for Dental Emergencies

Below are some general tips for dealing with a variety of dental emergencies. We can give you some additional advice over the phone depending on your circumstances.

• Use warm water to rinse out your mouth to reduce the risk of infection.
• Recover lost teeth or restorations immediately if you can. Then rinse them off with warm water before attempting to place them back in your mouth.
• Only touch the crown of a lost tooth, never the root.
• Lost teeth need to be kept moist at all times. If you can’t get them to stay in their original socket, put them in a safe container filled with milk or salt water. Try to get to our dental office within two hours of the initial trauma.
• A cold compress can be used to reduce pain or swelling, while a clean rag or gauze can be used to put pressure on a wound and stop bleeding.
• Over-the-counter pain medications can help you stay comfortable, but you should avoid aspirin at all costs. It can make bleeding worse and might also cause a burning sensation if it touches the teeth or the gums.

Preventing Dental Emergencies

You can’t prevent all dental injuries, but it is completely possible to minimize the possible risks to your smile. First, you need to take control of your oral hygiene, which means brushing and flossing regularly while making biannual trips to the dentist. Then, you need to reexamine your diet and make sure that you’re staying away from the starch and sugar that can make your mouth more susceptible to decay and disease. Finally, you need to take steps to protect yourself from accidents, such as getting an athletic mouthguard and breaking bad habits like chewing ice.

Cost of Treating Dental Emergencies

Every dental emergency is different. Some require dental crowns while others call for tooth extractions and even root canal therapy. Our dental experts will be on hand to assess the situation and give recommendations for the appropriate treatments. An estimate will only be provided after we’ve performed an emergency examination. We’ll develop a treatment plan based on what’s necessary for your oral health, and we’ll explain any and all associated costs to you as thoroughly as possible.

Root Canals

Root canal therapy is often depicted as a painful procedure, but this is extremely misleading. Not only can we use root canal therapy to stop pain, but it also helps us avoid having to perform an extraction. The procedure involves the innermost part of the tooth known as the dental pulp, which causes toothaches when it becomes infected. Taking out the pulp will eliminate the pain and prevent the infection from spreading beyond the tooth. Your mouth will be numbed during the procedure.

Tooth Extractions

Every effort will be made to preserve your natural teeth whenever possible. We do not extract teeth unless we determine that it is in the best interest for your oral health. Some situations where an extraction might be called for include:

• Any time that a tooth has become damaged or decayed beyond repair
• Advanced gum disease that has destroyed the bone supporting a tooth
• Baby teeth that have failed to fall out naturally or are stopping adult teeth from erupting
• Preparation for dentures or certain orthodontic treatments