Over-the-Counter and At-Home Solutions for Dental Emergencies

A dental emergency never really happens at a convenient time, but it’s important to act quickly for the best results. In this blog post, we will explain some over-the-counter and at-home options for dental emergencies. (These are actually stop-gaps until you come to see us in person.)

Do I Need to See a Dentist When I Have a Dental Emergency?

Being empowered to support your own healthcare is always a good thing. It’s even better if you are prepared in advance for possible dental emergencies, not just for yourself, but for your family. Thus, being armed with over-the-counter and at-home solutions for dental emergencies is a really good idea.

All that said, remember that self-treatment is usually not enough, and that you’ll be using these at-home solutions as a way to stabilize your teeth prior to coming to visit us at Gardena Dental Care. Most dental emergency situations will require the intervention of a dentist, including minor issues such as a wire poking out in a set of metal braces to a chipped tooth.

In certain situations, such as when a tooth is knocked out and our dentists are not available immediately, we will encourage you to go visit your local emergency room. We still want you to call us 24/7 at (424) 295-7885 for guidance on how to handle your specific dental emergency.

What Types of Dental Emergencies Should I Be Prepared for?

Ideally, you’ll go through life without ever having to deal with a dental emergency. That said, there are many common dental and orthodontic emergencies (especially if you have kids!). These can include:

• Knocked out tooth
• Severe pain, including gum pain and toothache
• Food or object lodged in teeth causing pain
• Broken or chipped tooth, crown, or veneer
• Lost or dislodged filling or crown
• Broken braces (wire popping out, bracket broken or dislodged from tooth)

Some of these issues are more serious than others. For example, if a natural tooth gets knocked out of the mouth, it is an urgent issue. Do not wait to see us or go to the emergency room. You have about an hour or so that the tooth can be returned to its socket. This is not something you can do on your own.

If you have a piece of food or foreign object that’s really stuck into the teeth, and normal flossing cannot remove it, don’t try to force it – let us take care of this for you safely.

In other cases, such as a piece of veneer breaking off, but you aren’t in any pain and no functionality is lost, we may not need to see you immediately. But don’t assume, always call us at (424) 295-7885 because you may still need to come in right away.

What Should I Do for a Knocked Out Tooth?

If your tooth is knocked out (or your child’s), rinse the tooth in some water and do not clean off any pulp or tissue from the tooth (as this is needed for the tooth to reset). Make sure you hold the top part of the tooth and not the root.

If you can put the tooth back into the socket, then great. Otherwise, you will store the tooth in some milk and then bring it with you to our office or the emergency room. Unfortunately, teeth are often knocked out at outdoor sporting events where milk is not available. In this case, the second-best thing to do (if you can’t put the tooth back into its socket) is to hold the tooth in the mouth (in the cheek) with ample saliva to keep it moist on the journey to the dentist.

What Should I Do for a Toothache?

A toothache could be a sign of many things, including an infection of the gums or an abscess. If it accompanies a fever or swelling, you should either visit us or a doctor (or emergency room) immediately. You can rinse the area with warm salt water and take a pain reliever such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen until we can check out your toothache at Gardena Dental Care.

What Should I Do for a Chipped or Broken Tooth?

Many drugstores have a do-it-yourself sealant kit for broken or chipped teeth, but in a pinch, you can also use some sugar-free gum or wax to protect the exposed portion of the tooth. Be sure to rinse the area first with warm water. This is just a temporary fix until you can see us at Gardena Dental Care.

What Should I Do for a Lost or Dislodged Filling or Crown?

If your filling or crown got dislodged but you still have the crown or a piece of the filling, keep it to bring to your dental appointment. If you can put the crown back on the tooth, great, but don’t force it. (Do not try to replace the filling). The crown can be secured into place with toothpaste, denture adhesive, or dental cement. Otherwise, if you can’t replace the crown or have a missing filling, you can use the do-it-yourself dental sealant to cover any exposed areas as mentioned in the section above.

Please do not use any sort of household glue or non-dental adhesive in your mouth. This will cause a very serious dental emergency that may require a trip to the hospital!

What Should I Do for Broken Braces?

On rare occasions, braces can be a source of a dental emergency. The bracket could break or fall off, or a wire could become untethered and start poking the gums. Sometimes a wire might break.

Broken brackets can be temporarily stabilized if they have just gotten unmoored from the tooth. Use a pair of tweezers (sterilized) to gently move a floating bracket back into place. Sometimes you may need to turn the bracket so it is facing the correct direction. Use dental wax to secure it into place.

Broken wires or poky wires can be clipped with sterilized nail clippers. Use dental wax to cover the ends of any wires that are poking into the cheeks or gums.

As soon as possible, come to see us in our Gardena dental office to get your braces repaired.

What Should I Have on Hand for Dental Emergencies?

There are two things you can have on hand for possible dental emergencies. One is do-it-yourself sealant designed for dental use and the other is a special type of wax, dental wax. The latter is very helpful to have on hand if you or your child have braces, because it can be used for more common problems such as a wire that is poking or pinching.

Have any questions? Let our caring dental staff in Gardena know!

Gardena Dental Care is here for you in a dental emergency. Call us right away at (424) 295-7885 for fast, professional treatment.