There’s one thing you can guarantee about dental emergencies and that that they never happen when it’s convenient. This is where Tsawwassen Place Dental can help you as our dentists Dr. Larry Leslie and Dr. Tom Greene always make every effort to see emergency dental patients as soon as possible.
If you are in pain or have damaged a tooth, then we can take care of you, repairing the damage and helping you feel more comfortable. However, when a dental emergency does arise it’s nice to know what to do in the short term until you can get to our dental office.
Toothache
Toothache can be utterly miserable and one thing to try is to gently floss around the aching tooth, just in case it is being dislodged by any impacted food. Rinse your mouth with warm water to wash away any debris and contact us to make an appointment to see one of the dentists at Tsawwassen Place Dental Clinic. It’s important to get any sort of toothache investigated and there is a much better chance that we can save your tooth the sooner we can treat it.
Knocked out or Avulsed Tooth
If you knock out a tooth then please act quickly. Sometimes it’s possible to reinsert the tooth, but the window of opportunity is pretty small at just half an hour to an hour after the accident. Carefully pick up the tooth by its crown and rinse off any dirt.
At this stage you can try to reinsert the tooth yourself, holding it in position with a clean finger or by gently biting down on a tissue, or if you can’t face this then store it in a little milk or saline solution, or even in your cheek. In any case, come to see us or go to an emergency room as soon as you can. If a child has knocked out a milk tooth then please don’t try to reinsert it as there is a possibility it could damage the adult tooth underneath.
Chipped Tooth
If you chip a tooth then rinse out your mouth to remove any loose debris and save any broken pieces to bring with you to your appointment. If the injury has caused any bleeding, use a clean tissue or piece of gauze to apply gentle pressure to the wound until it stops. You can relieve any swelling using a cold compress on the outside of your mouth.
Even if the chip is relatively minor, it’s important to get it mended as soon as you can because it leaves this tooth open to the risk of infection and decay. Without treatment, a small chip could become far costlier and much more serious to put right.
When you contact Tsawwassen Place Dental to book your appointment, we can give you lots more information on how to deal with your dental emergency over the phone.
While some emergencies cannot be avoided, the right precautions can sometimes prevent or lessen dental injuries. Keeping up with regular checkups helps to reduce your risk of tooth decay as your dentist can easily treat any small cavities before the infection spreads any further. If you like to play sports, then a custom-made mouthguard will help reduce your risk of knocking out or chipping a tooth. Unlike over-the-counter mouthguards, custom mouthguards provide much more protection and are thickened in critical areas to help cushion any blows to the jaw.
* Source: US National Library of Medicine
