Dental Emergency
 At Boones Landing Dental Center , we see many mouth injuries. This includes things like teeth that get knocked out (avulsed), forced out of position, loosened (extruded), or fractured, and cuts to lips, gums, and cheeks. These injuries are painful and need to be treated by us. However, you need to understand what is an honest “emergency” and what isn’t.
Managing an Injury to Your Mouth’s TissueThere are various ways you can injure the inside of your mouth. They involve tearing, puncturing, wounding, and getting any other type of laceration to your cheek, lips, or tongue. When this happens, you’ll want to immediately clean it with warm water. You’ll want to go to the hospital emergency room for care in this situation. If you’ve injured your tongue, you should pull your tongue forward, then press some gauze and pressure against it.
Handling a Tooth That’s Been Knocked OutWhen you injure a tooth, you need to be seen by our office within 30 minutes. This can be the difference between saving or losing your tooth. In the meantime:| • |
Make sure you handle the tooth – not the root.
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If you touch the root, you may damage the cells that are needed for reattaching it to your bone.
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Immediately rinse it off with water to remove the dirt, but don’t scrub it. |
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Either store it in your mouth or wrapped in some clean gauze and let it soak in some milk. |
Dealing with a Tooth That’s Knocked Out of PlaceIf you’re lucky enough that your tooth hasn’t been knocked out of your mouth, just misaligned, you can try to reposition it. Use light finger pressure to return it to its normal alignment. Don’t force it there. Once it’s approximately back to its original position, bite down on it so it won’t move before you arrive in our office.
Caring for a Fractured ToothWhen you fracture a tooth, you’ll want to immediately rinse your mouth with warm water and place an ice pack or cold compress on your cheek to reduce any swelling. Immediately come to our office so we can see how broken your tooth is.
There are three different types of fractures we may diagnose you with.| 1. |
The first is a minor fracture that may need no treatment at all.
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Secondly, you may have a moderate fracture (e.g., damage to your enamel, dentin, pulp, nerves, or live tissue) that may require your tooth to be replaced with a full crown and possibly some other form of treatment.
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Third, you may suffer from a severe fracture, which means that your tooth is so traumatized there’s a very slim chance of saving it. |
Whether you have an honest emergency or just need to be seen for an injury to your mouth, give Boones Landing Dental Center a call at (503) 601-0610. We’re here to help you take good care of your mouth. |
