1.

Your Tooth is Knocked Out (also known as an avulsed tooth)

If your tooth has been knocked out of your mouth, it is important to see an emergency dentist immediately because tissues, nerves and blood vessels may also be damaged.  If the tooth can be placed back into its socket within the following hour there is a possibility that tissue will grow to support the tooth. Time is of the essence in this situation.

Take these steps:

• Call us
• Pick up your tooth by the crown and rinse it under warm water.  DO NOT touch the root.  If it is possible, place the tooth back into its socket; if not, tuck the tooth into your cheek pouch.
• If the tooth cannot be placed in the mouth, put the tooth into a cup of milk, saliva, or water.  It is essential that you keep the tooth from drying out.
• Get to our office as quickly, and safely, as possible.
• We will try to replace your tooth in its natural socket.  The tooth may re-attach but sometimes if the tooth is seriously damaged, root canal therapy may be required.
  

2.

Lost Filling or Crown

Dental crowns or fillings may come loose while eating. Once the crown or filling is out of the mouth, the tooth will become sensitive to temperature change and to pressure (for example, of eating).  If a crown becomes loose it is often because the tooth underneath is decaying.  The decay will cause the tooth to change shape and the crown will not fit properly (since it will not change its shape).

If a crown has dropped out of the mouth (or if you’ve swallowed it), make a dental appointment with our office as soon as possible.  If you have the crown, keep it in a cool, safe place since there is a possibility that we can re-insert it.  If the crown is out of the mouth for a long period of time, the teeth may shift or sustain further damage.

If you cannot get to our office immediately, take the following steps:

• Apply clove oil to the tooth to alleviate pain.
• Clean your crown and affix it onto the tooth with dental cement.  This can be purchased at the local pharmacy.
• If the crown is lost, smear the top of the tooth with dental cement to alleviate discomfort.
• DO NOT use any kind of glue to affix the crown.

Once you get to our office, we will check the crown to see if it will still fit.  If it does, we will re-attach it to the tooth. If there is decay under the crown, we will treat it and make a new crown.

3.

Cracked or Broken Teeth

Teeth are strong but they will still break, crack or fracture under certain circumstances (trauma, grinding and/or biting on a hard object). Some cracks are painless but if the crack extends to the tooth’s root, it can be extremely painful.

If you have a break, crack or fracture you need to come in to our dental clinic as soon as possible.

• Call us and book an appointment;
• Rinse your mouth with lukewarm water (and if you can stand it, add a little salt to the water as a disinfectant);
• If there is any bleeding, apply gauze to the area for at least ten minutes;
• Place a cold, damp dish towel, a small bag of frozen peas (or vegetables), or gel ice pack to the cheek to minimize swelling and pain;
• If you can’t get an appointment to see us immediately, then cover the cleaned and affected area with over-the-counter dental cement (you can get it at your local pharmacy);
• You may need to take a topical pain reliever;

Depending on the nature of the break or fracture, we may need to consider root canal therapy to save the tooth.  If there is a complete break, we will usually fix the fragment (if you’ve saved it in good condition – keeping it damp) back onto the tooth as a temporary measure.

4.

Dislodged and/or Loose Teeth

• If your tooth has been dislodged or loosened from its socket by decay or by trauma, it still may be possible to save it.
• You need to try to keep the tooth in the mouth – it may try to re-attach to the blood vessels and nerves.  Do not try to pull a loosened tooth out – come in to our office and we will assess the tooth.

Call our office as soon as possible – we have an emergency dentist available if necessary.  While trying to make contact, use a cold compress and over-the-counter medications to relieve pain.  We will always try to save the tooth; this may require re-positioning the tooth and adding splints to stabilize the tooth. Root canal therapy may be necessary if the tooth does not heal and we can consider cosmetic dentistry options if the tooth does not re-attach (if lost).

Hear from our patients

An absolutely amazing team of people here. I have never felt so comfortable going to a dentist as I do with meadow gate :) I highly recommend this practise to anyone looking for a respectable team to care for your oral problems. Definitely a 10/10 for me and will recommend them to anyone who asks!

– Heidi