Dental Emergencies In Plano Texas

Most of us realize that we should see a dentist immediately when we have a toothache or any kind of painful injury to our mouth. Day or night, dental emergencies, such as teeth that have been knocked out of their sockets, and teeth that have been cracked or broken should be attended to promptly by a dentist.

If one of your teeth should be knocked out by some type of accident, you should quickly locate the tooth and then gently clean off all debris and dirt, and then carefully place it between your gums and cheek to keep it naturally moist. However, you should never try to replace it in its original socket, but if you can get it back to your dentist in time, he/she can quite possibly restore it to its place properly.

If you have just experienced a tooth that has slipped out of place, as a normal course you can probably take your fingers and temporarily reposition it.  Just remember, you should never try and force a loosened tooth back in place since it could cause damage, but instead, just try to lightly jiggle it around slightly.

Until you can get to the dentist as quickly as possible, you could use some moist tissue to keep it in as good a position as possible.

A tooth that has been fractured is another, more serious situation, and how badly it has been fractured is the determining factor of what treatment will be required.  It is of the utmost importance that you get to a dentist as soon as possible, no matter how light the fracture might be!

As a normal course of action, your dentist can probably use dental sandpaper to smooth out the fracture if it is only minor, or the affected tooth can be restored using a composite in other, more serious cases. You will certainly need to make sure that you use extreme caution to protect the tooth for several days after its repair, in either scenario.

In the case of more moderate fractures, such as damage to the enamel, pulp or dentin, there is sometimes no serious worries involved, yet in other cases there can be quite a bit of pain. We should be able to restore the complete function and full shape of the fractured tooth if the pulp remains undamaged. However, he/she might need to do some serious surgery or even a root canal procedure to restore the affected tooth, if there has been much damage to the pulp.

You should never hesitate to contact our office as soon as absolutely possible whenever you encounter a dental emergency, because he/she will be able to come to your aide, make the pain go away and solve your dental problem.

Since these types of emergencies can happen at any time, you should always have an emergency contact number of a reliable dentist, who can be ready to assist you at any sign of a dental emergency.  Since something like tooth pain can be very excruciating, getting the problem attended to immediately will be of the utmost importance.

Types of Dental Emergencies

So, what constitutes a dental emergency? When a toothache or another dental emergency strikes, the emergency dentists at Star Ranch Dental are trained to quickly respond by connecting you with a dentist who can give prompt relief. We handle a wide range of emergency dental issues, including:

• Toothaches– Severe pain is a sign that something is amiss. The longer you wait, the more difficult (and expensive) the solution. Rinsing out your mouth with warm saltwater will hopefully dislodge any trapped food between your teeth. If you are experiencing facial swelling, use a cold compress and acetaminophen for temporary relief.
• Cut Tongue, Lip, or Cheek– For bleeding, apply pressure with sterile gauze to reduce the chances of infection and complication. Use your better judgment as well; if the cut looks significant, and bleeding does not seem to be subsiding, contact an emergency room.
• Broken, Cracked, or Chipped Tooth– Not sure what to do for a broken tooth?  Start by rinsing the area with warm water. Place a cold compress over the site of the injury. If you can, recover any broken tooth fragments. If possible, save the tooth fragment and rinse both your mouth and the salvaged tooth pieces with warm water.
• Knocked Out Permanent Tooth– Recover the tooth and hold it by the crown (top), not the root. Rinse, but do not over-cleaning or over-handling. Put and hold the tooth in place using a clean piece of gauze or cloth. If reinsertion is impossible, carry the tooth in a cup of milk or water. Stopping the bleeding is most important. Don’t remove any attached tissue, they help re-secure the tooth!
• Broken Wires and Braces– If a wire breaks or sticks out of a bracket in your braces and pokes around your mouth, try and push it to a non-bothersome position. If you can’t do this, add a cotton swab until you reach the dentist. Leave the wire as is. You may swallow it if cut.
• Cold, Canker Sores, and Abscesses– Over-the-counter medications such as acetaminophen can provide temporary relief as well. Use only as directed. An abscess is a serious infection that typically occurs in the gumline around the teeth. If left alone, infections might spread to the body. Visit your emergency dentist as soon as possible if you discover pain or swelling in the gums.

To expedite your care, Star Ranch Dental also recommends adding 972-943-5944 to your contacts so that, if an emergency happens, you can reach us immediately. Keeping our information handy will not only help you save valuable time; it could be important in helping to rescue an injured tooth.

Other Dental Emergencies

If any other peculiar symptoms or pain persists, or you are wondering where to go for a dental emergency, please give us a call so we can help determine if you need to come into our practice or to the emergency room. With emergency dental care, you can spend less time worrying about if the dentist is open and more time fixing the problem at hand!