Toothaches

First, thoroughly rinse your mouth with warm water.

Use dental floss to remove any lodged food.

If your mouth is swollen, apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth or cheek.

Never put aspirin or any other painkiller against the gums near the aching tooth because it may burn the gum tissue.

Call us as soon as possible.

Chipped or Broken Teeth

It's useful to save any pieces since we may be able to cement them back to your teeth, at least as a temporary solution.

Rinse your mouth using warm water and rinse any of the broken pieces.

If you have any bleeding, apply a piece of gauze to the area for about 10 minutes or until the bleeding stops.

Apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth, cheek, or lip near the broken/chipped tooth to keep any swelling down and relieve pain.

Call us as soon as possible.

Knocked-Out Tooth

Retrieve the tooth, hold it by the crown (the part that is usually exposed in the mouth), and rinse off the tooth root with water if it's dirty.

Do not scrub it or remove any attached tissue fragments.

If possible, try to put the tooth back in place.

Make sure the tooth is facing the right way and never force it into the socket.

If you are unable to reinsert the tooth in the socket, put the tooth in a small container of milk (or cup of water that contains a pinch of table salt if milk is not available).

In all cases, see your dentist as quickly as possible.

Knocked out teeth with the highest chances of being saved are those returned to their socket by the dentist within 1 hour of being knocked out.

Extruded (Partially Dislodged) Tooth

Call us right away.

Until you reach the office, you can relieve some of the pain by applying a cold compress to the outside of the mouth or cheek in the affected area.

Take an over-the-counter pain reliever (such as Tylenol or Advil) if needed.

Objects Caught Between Teeth

Try using dental floss to very gently and carefully remove the object.

If you can't get the object out, call us. Never use a pin or other sharp object to poke at the stuck object.

These instruments can cut your gums or scratch your tooth surface.

Lost Filling

As a temporary measure, you can stick a piece of sugarless gum into the cavity (sugar-filled gum will cause pain) or use an over-the-counter dental cement.

Call us as soon as possible.

Lost Crown

If the crown falls off, make an appointment to see your dentist as soon as possible and bring the crown with you.

If you can't get to the dentist right away and the tooth is causing pain, use a cotton swab to apply a little clove oil to the sensitive area (clove oil can be purchased at your local drug store or in the spice aisle of your grocery store).

If possible, slip the crown back over the tooth. Before doing so, coat the inner surface with an over-the-counter dental cement, toothpaste, or denture adhesive, to help hold the crown in place.

Do not use super glue!

Abscesses

Abscesses are infections that occur around the root of a tooth or in the space between the teeth and gums.

Abscesses are a serious condition that can damage tissue and surrounding teeth.

The infection from an abscess can spread to other parts of the body if left untreated.

Because of the serious oral health and general health problems that can result from an abscess, if you discover a pimple-like swelling on your gum that usually is painful, call us as soon as possible.

Before your appointment, to ease the pain and draw the pus toward the surface, try rinsing your mouth with a mild salt water solution (½ teaspoon of table salt in 8 ounces of water) several times a day.

Soft-Tissue Injuries

Injuries to the soft tissues, which include the tongue, cheeks, gums, and lips, can result in bleeding. To control the bleeding, here's what to do:

1. Rinse your mouth with a mild salt-water solution.
2. Use a moistened piece of gauze or tea bag to apply pressure to the bleeding site. Hold in place for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. To both control bleeding and relieve pain, hold a cold compress to the outside of the mouth or cheek in the affected area for 5 to 10 minutes.
4. If the bleeding doesn't stop, call us right away or go to a hospital emergency room. Continue to apply pressure on the bleeding site with the gauze until you can be seen and treated.