You may not be ready for your next dental emergency in Annapolis, but the team at Goodman Dental Care is. We’re here to provide urgent care and crucial advice during your urgent situation, whatever it may be.
Three Most Common Dental Emergencies
Here are the top three emergency situations we see in our office. Learn a little bit about each one to help yourself be more prepared when the unexpected happens to you or someone you love.
Knocked Out Tooth
When a Sunday afternoon football game or bike ride goes awry, a knocked out tooth can cause everyone involved to feel panic. But the most important thing to do in this situation (and in every dental emergency) is to remain calm.
The next steps following a tooth that’s been knocked out include:
- Collect the tooth or its parts for possible reattachment.
- Taking care to hold the tooth by its crown and not its roots, rinse any debris with warm water (do not scrub the tooth).
- Call the emergency dentist as soon as possible. Teeth have the greatest chance for reattachment within the first two hours of loss.
- Store the tooth in its socket, if possible. If not, holding it in the cheek or in a bag of milk will suffice until you can reach the dentist’s office.
Broken Tooth
If you or someone close to you has broken a tooth, collect, rinse and store the larger pieces for possible reattachment. Stop or slow the bleeding by applying firm but gentle pressure with a clean gauze or cloth, and take an over-the-counter pain medication like Aleve to ease pain until you can reach the dentist’s office.
Toothache
When a toothache is so severe that it interferes with your day-to-day activities, it’s past time to call the dentist. You’ve likely got a serious infection or abscess that requires immediate attention. Call your dentist for an urgent appointment, and in the meantime try to control discomfort with an over-the-counter pain medication.
Parents and caretakers should be aware that often, children complain of a serious toothache when something is lodged between the teeth. Before contacting your dentist, help them floss and rinse their mouths to determine if that’s the cause of the pain. Call your dentist immediately if pain persists.
Be Ready to Call Goodman Dental Care!
Program Goodman Dental Care’s number into your phone to prepare yourself for your next urgent situation. We can be reached at (410) 934-3086. We’ll work to get you in to see the doctor as soon as possible… because none of our patients deserve to be left waiting in pain!