What Is a Dental Emergency and Where to Go for Care?

Injuries to the mouth may not seem like a life-threatening occurrence, but you should treat them just like other medical emergencies. If it happened to you, where to go for care? Many people go to an emergency room for a dental emergency. But ER doctors must be educated in the techniques necessary to deal with many tooth emergencies. A dentist is better qualified to diagnose and treat dental emergencies properly. We accommodate any last-minute appointment and even outside of regular business hours. You can make a same-day appointment for dental emergencies at our Aleris Dental Center in Salem, MA.

Dental Emergency Care at Aleris Dental Center in Salem, MA

When should you get to the dentist?

• When you suppose your tooth is broken or chipped, rinse your mouth with warm water, use cold compresses to reduce swelling, and call the dentist immediately! Tooth pain means you have broken through your enamel to the dentin, which is sensitive because it contains nerve endings.

• If your tooth gets knocked out of alignment or position. After determining the injury is not a more severe concussion or facial injury, pick up the tooth by the chewing edge or crown, which is part of the tooth above the gum line. Rinse the tooth but do not scrub. If you can, place the tooth back in its spot and bite gently on a gauze pad to keep it in place. If you can’t put the tooth back, place it in a clean container and cover it with milk or saline solution to keep it from drying out, and as soon as possible, go to the dentist.

• Suppose you have objects in your teeth. Gently try to remove the thing with dental floss. Never use sharp tools to dislodge the object.

• If you have toothaches, rinse your mouth with warm water and gently use dental floss or an inter-dental cleaner to ensure no food or other debris between the teeth. And make an appointment with the dentist.

• If you have a bitten lip or tongue, clean the area gently with a cloth: Apple pressure and cold compress to stop the bleeding and reduce swelling. If bleeding persists for 15 minutes, it’s time to go to the ER.

• If your jaw has broken, you will feel pain in the face or jaw and see swelling and bruising. Apply a cold compress and stabilize the jaw with a bandage wrapped beneath the jaw and tied on top of the head. Go to the ER immediately.

• If you have a dental abscess that is not getting better.

If you have experienced a dental emergency, the first steps you should take are:

• Rinse your mouth out with a warm saltwater solution.

• Take out-of-counter pain medication to relieve swelling and pain.

• Hold a cold pack of ice to the side of your cheek to reduce pain and swelling.

For more information on dental emergencies, please call Aleris Salem Dental Center at (855) 745-0055 or contact us online. Schedule your consultation with the best dentists in Salem, MA!