Emergency dental care to the rescue! Relieving pain and saving teeth
Emergency dental care to the rescue! Relieving pain and saving teeth
The office of Arnold Rifman DDS understands how frightening and painful dental emergencies can be. So, our team in Hollywood, California, emphasizes prompt care. In fact, such treatment is almost always necessary to alleviate often intense pain and to give a tooth a second chance at survival.
What are the most common dental emergencies that you see?
Our team is no stranger to accommodating urgent needs. These needs include:
- Fractures or cracks caused by trauma, teeth grinding, and biting on hard objects
- Damage to fillings, crowns, and other dental work
- Dislodged dental restorations
- Loose teeth
- Sports-related injuries to the teeth and oral tissues
- Knocked-out or avulsed teeth
- Severe toothaches
- Serious dental abscesses/infections
Why is it important to see a dentist immediately?
At the stage when you are considering emergency dental treatment, the pain will not simply go away on its own. It will get worse without treatment. Additionally, some oral infections can turn into potentially life-threatening systemic infections. Your mouth is connected to the rest of you. The bacteria and inflammation from your mouth can travel to other parts of your body. It is important to take oral health matters very seriously as they can jeopardize your overall health.
What should I do about a broken or cracked tooth?
Contact us immediately. Rinse off any tooth fragments with warm (never hot) water. If there is bleeding, stanch it with gauze. To ease swelling and pain, apply a damp and cool dish towel to the outside of the cheek. Apply a topical pain reliever as prescribed.
How should I care for a lost crown?
Carefully clean the crown. You may affix it to the tooth with a specialized dental cement. Never use any kind of glue that is not made for this purpose. You can find this product at your local drugstore, and we generally recommend that it be a part of your dental first-aid kit. That way, you always have the items you need on hand.
What should I do if my tooth is loose or gets knocked out?
In both cases, contact us immediately. We will need to evaluate the tooth right away to see how it can be preserved. For partially dislodged or loose teeth, use a cold compress and OTC medications to ease the pain. For a fully avulsed or “knocked-out” tooth, time is really of the essence. Get to our office as soon as possible. In the meantime, it’s important to handle the tooth with utmost care. Rinse it under warm water and never touch the root. If it’s safe to do so, place the tooth back in its socket or tuck it into your cheek. It may also be stored in a solution like Save-A-Tooth™ or a cup of milk or saliva (water is a last resort). The most important thing is to prevent the tooth from drying out, as this increases our chances of saving it.
How do you treat dental emergencies?
Treatment varies considerably, but we have been able to save lots of badly damaged teeth with procedures like root canal therapy. Minutes can make the difference between saving and losing your tooth, so contact us right away when in doubt about whether your situation is an “emergency” or not. It’s better to contact us if you are concerned, as we can discuss those issues with you and then determine the best next steps. The office of Arnold Rifman DDS in Hollywood, CA can be reached at 323-466-2937 today.
