Dental accidents happen, and knowing what to do when one occurs can mean the difference between saving and losing a tooth. At Mason Dentistry, we are your emergency dentist in Katy Texas.
Chipped, Cracked, or Broken Teeth
Dental traumas such as these can be very painful. If this happens to you, you may not be able to wait long, much less overnight, to see a dentist who can help. In the interim, applying a cold compress to your face in the affected area may help manage inevitable swelling. It’s also important that you choose acetaminophen over other types of pain medicine and avoid numbing gels.
Why should I visit an emergency dentist near me for emergency dental care instead of going to the ER?
While the physicians at the emergency room are skilled at treating health emergencies, they are not familiar with dental care. They can triage any problem that you have by helping to stop the bleeding, but they will not be able to restore a damaged tooth.
Likewise, if you visit an emergency room due to dental pain, they can provide you with pain relief but cannot find out what is causing the pain and work to solve it.
This is why you need to visit the dentist instead. Remember that even if you go to the emergency room, you will still likely need to visit the dentist anyway. Visit Mason Dentistry for emergency dental care instead to save yourself the extra pain, time and money.
Here are some tips for common dental emergencies:
- For a knocked-out permanent or adult tooth (avulsed tooth dental trauma), keep it moist at all times. If you can, try placing the tooth back in the socket without touching the root. If that’s not possible, place it in between your cheek and gums, in milk, or use a tooth preservation product that has the ADA Seal of Acceptance. Then, get to Mason Dentistry right away.
- For a cracked tooth, immediately rinse the mouth with warm water to clean the area. Put cold compresses on the face to keep any swelling down.
- If you bite your tongue or lip, clean the area gently with water and apply a cold compress.
- For toothaches, rinse the mouth with warm water to clean it out. Gently use dental floss to remove any food caught between the teeth. Do not put aspirin on the aching tooth or gum tissues.
- For objects stuck in the mouth, try to gently remove with floss but do not try to remove it with sharp or pointed instruments.
When you have a dental trauma, or an emergency, it’s important to visit Mason Dentistry as soon as possible.
Here are some simple precautions you can take to avoid accident and injury to the teeth:
- Wear a mouthguard when participating in sports or recreational activities.
- Avoid chewing ice, popcorn kernels and hard candy, all of which can crack a tooth.
- Use scissors, NEVER your teeth, to cut things.
- Avoid Hard Foods: Though it may be tempting to bite down on some cool ice at the end of your drink, think twice! Ice, hard breads, and other tough foods often cause breaks, chips, or other kinds of dental damage.
- Practice Good Dental Hygiene: Excluding other types of accidents, spotty dental hygiene is another leading cause of dental emergencies. Some conditions are unavoidable, but taking excellent care of your teeth can help prevent situations from developing into a dental emergency.
Call our office and provide as much detail as possible about your condition.
Tooth Abscess
If you are experiencing a severe, throbbing toothache, temperature sensitivity, swelling, and/or a fever—you may have a dental abscess. A dental abscess may be visible to you in the mirror and appear as an irritated bump on your gums. It’s very important to take this condition seriously, as it can be potentially life threatening should the infection be allowed to spread. You should contact Mason Dentistry immediately as you may need an incision and drainage, and antibiotic treatment.
Toothaches.
With emergency dental care, we see a lot of Katy patients that are suffering from a major toothache. This is a top reason that people seek out care right away instead of waiting for Monday or for the dentist to open in the morning. When a toothache strikes it can be debilitating and we can provide relief. The good news is that it does not have to be. At Mason Dentistry, we have found that most toothaches do not happen without warning. Typically, there are signs that can include discomfort when biting down, sensitivity to heat or cold, irritation when brushing or flossing, etc. If you sense any of these things, we encourage you to call (832) 777-7567 and schedule an appointment for a dental exam. We can examine your teeth, look for any signs of infection or decay and treat the problem before you go from moderate discomfort to a raging toothache. Our friendly Mason Dentistry staff can work with you to schedule an appointment that fits within your schedule so that you have no reason to delay in seeking treatment. However, if you do not come in right away and do develop a bad toothache, we want to see you.
One of the common reasons for a bad toothache is severe decay or an infection. To resolve this issue, we may need to perform a root canal. We can do this while providing you with emergency dental care. Since the discomfort is caused by the infection, removing it will help you to feel better right away. First, we will numb the area and provide you with anesthesia and then create a small hole in your tooth so that the infected portion of it can be removed. Once done, the area will be cleaned before it is sealed. We will do everything available to safely ensure that the procedure is comfortable. After we finish the procedure, you will begin to feel significantly better than when you first came in. Sometimes it is also necessary to restore the tooth with a dental filling or crown. If this is the case we can either complete that portion of the procedure immediately or schedule a second appointment to do so.
