Types of Dental Emergencies
Having a Toothache
If your mouth is swollen, apply a cold compress to the outside of your cheek. Never put aspirin or any other painkiller against the gums near the aching tooth because it may burn the gum tissue. Call our Toronto dentists straight away for emergency care.
Chipped or Broken Teeth
When possible, save any pieces that you can find. Rinse your mouth with warm water; including any broken pieces. If you’re 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 your mouth, cheek, or lip near the broken/chipped tooth to keep any swelling down and relieve pain until you can arrive at our dental clinic.
Knocked-out Tooth
After you retrieve your tooth, hold it by the crown (the part that is usually exposed in the mouth), and rinse off the tooth root only if it’s visibly dirty. Do not scrub it or remove any attached tissue fragments. If possible, try to put the tooth temporarily back in place before seeing us. Make sure it’s facing the right way and never force it into the socket. Your tooth being surrounded by natural tissues helps improve the chance of saving it. For your best chances of saving a knocked-out tooth, place it back into the socket within 1 hour of it being knocked out. If it’s not possible 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) and bring it to our practice. In all cases, Contact our emergency dentists immediately!
Losing a Filling or Crown
As a temporary measure, stick a piece of sugarless gum into the cavity (sugar-filled gum will cause pain) and then call our Emergency Dentist Bloor West for directions on what to do next. Do not attempt to fix the tooth yourself. For crowns, store your restoration in a zip-top bag and bring it with you to your appointment.
Broken Orthodontics Brackets or Wires
If a wire breaks or sticks out of a bracket or band and is poking your cheek, tongue or gum, try using the eraser end of a pencil to push the wire into a more comfortable position. If you can’t reposition the wire, cover the end with orthodontic wax, a small cotton ball, or piece of gauze until you can get to our office. Never cut the wire, as you could end up swallowing it or breathing it into your lungs.
