Emergency Dental Care
Our Mission Hills dentist offers emergency dental care throughout the week and certain Sundays. We are available for Emergency Dental Care every other Sunday.
What is a dental emergency?
Dental emergencies can be classified as injuries to the mouth. Some injuries that require immediate attention may include:
Teeth that are knocked out (avulsed)
Teeth that are forced out of position
Severely loosened (extruded) or fractured teeth
In addition to tooth damage, other injuries may include sliced or cut lips, gums or cheeks. Oral injuries are painful and should be treated by an emergency dentist as soon as possible!
What to do with a knocked out tooth?
It is highly recommended you immediately call your dentist for an emergency appointment! If you are able to locate the knocked out tooth, be sure to handle it by the crown and not the tooth root! Touching the tooth’s root can cause damage to necessary cells for bone reattachment. Then be sure to follow these helpful tips to better your chances of tooth recovery.
Rinse the tooth gently in water to remove dirt. Be sure to avoid scrubbing.
If possible, carefully re-position the clean tooth in the socket to keep it moist. It is vital to tooth recovery that the tooth not dry out. Please make sure not to force the tooth in!
If placing the tooth back in its socket is not an option, store the tooth two ways. The first method it to place the tooth in the mouth of the injured person. The saliva helps keep the tooth alive. Another option is to wrap the tooth in a clean cloth or gauze and immerse it in milk.
What to do with injured mouth tissue?
If oral tissue damage occurred while sustaining injuries to the mouth, make sure to clean the wound right away with lukewarm water only. Visit a hospital emergency room to get any immediate care needed. A tongue laceration can lead to excessive bleeding. In case of a tongue laceration, reduce bleeding by simply pulling the tongue forward and using gauze to place pressure on the wounded.
