Emergency Dentistry

What is emergency dentistry?

Emergency dentistry includes:

• Loose or missing teeth
• Swelling in your mouth or face
• Bulges, swelling, or knots on your gums
• Bleeding
• Severe pain

Call Ramona Family Dentistry immediately for any trauma to your mouth and hits to your face.

What should you do while waiting for emergency dentistry?

Although time is of the essence when it comes to emergency dentistry, the following helps better your prognosis until you can see Drs. Christensen and Sachdeva.

Knocked-out Tooth

Pick up your tooth by its top, trying not to touch the roots, and carefully rinse it off. 

If possible, place your tooth back into your mouth, and bite down gently to hold it in place. If you can’t put your tooth back in its socket, put it in a small container or a cup of milk.

Bite down firmly on a dry washcloth and use Vaseline®, toothpaste, Chapstick®, or a small amount of denture adhesive to put a temporary crown back in place and have it recemented at Ramona Family Dentistry within the next few days.

Loose Tooth or a Tooth out of Alignment

If your tooth becomes loose or out of alignment, use light finger pressure, and try and put your tooth back in its original position. Then, bite down to try and keep your tooth from moving. 

Chipped, Cracked, or Fractured Teeth

Cracked and fractured teeth indicate damage to both the inside and outside of your tooth. While waiting to see Drs. Christensen and Sachdeva:

• Gently rinse your mouth clean with warm water.
• Apply a cold compress to the area to minimize swelling.
• Take acetaminophen to alleviate pain. Anticoagulants like aspirin and ibuprofen can cause excessive bleeding.
• Refrain from applying painkillers, including Orajel™ to your gums as it could cause burning.

If you don’t feel pain, emergency dentistry is not required. Chew carefully to avoid further damage. 

Tissue Injury and Facial Pain

For tissue injuries, puncture wounds, lacerations, and tears to your lips, cheeks, mouth, and tongue immediately clean the area with warm water. Use gauze to pull a bleeding tongue forward, and apply pressure gently.

Abscess or infection

To avoid life-threatening complications, see Drs. Christensen and Sachdeva immediately for severe infection or abscesses in your mouth.

How do you avoid emergency dentistry?

Routine checkups, wearing a mouth guard during sports activities, and avoiding hard foods and ice help you avoid the need for emergency dentistry.  

If you have a dental emergency, same-day appointments are available, call or make an appointment online with Drs. Nathan Christensen and Hemant Sachdeva at Ramona Family Dentistry in Ramona, California.