How to Handle a Dental Emergency

Dental emergencies can happen when you least expect them. In most cases, dental emergencies need immediate care – and this care may begin with you at home! The steps you take immediately after a dental emergency occurs can affect the outcome.  

Charleston Dentist Provides Tips for Handling a Dental Emergency

Determine if it is a dental emergency

Not all dental problems are emergencies, but it can be tricky to recognize which problems need immediate care.  

As a general rule, a dental emergency is when there is bleeding that won’t stop or pain that doesn’t get better with medication.

Determine the type of dental emergency

The type of care you provide depends largely on what the emergency involves.  

Common dental emergencies include:

• Severe toothache

• Badly cracked or broken tooth

• Tooth that is completely or partially knocked out

• Dental abscess that causes swelling of the face and jaw

• Lost or broken dental crowns or other dental restoration

• Severe soft tissue injury, such as a deep cut or a busted lip

Contact your emergency dentist in Charleston

Our dentist in Charleston can help you take the right steps to improve your outcome before you arrive at our office. Give us a call and let us know what type of dental emergency you are dealing with, and we’ll provide you with further instructions over the phone or instruct you to come into the office for immediate assistance.

Manage the emergency

Here’s how to manage each type of dental emergency until you can see your dentist for cavity repair, chipped tooth repair, or other emergency care.  

Severe toothache

Rinse your mouth with warm water then floss to remove any food or other material lodged between your teeth or in the soft oral tissue. If your mouth is swollen, apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth, over the affected area.  

Badly cracked or broken tooth

Rinse your mouth with warm water. If the tooth is broken, save and rinse any pieces of the tooth you can find. To address any bleeding, hold a piece of gauze on the area. Apply a cold compress as needed to reduce pain or swelling.  

Knocked-out tooth

Hold a knocked-out tooth by the crown, which is the part that appears above the gumline; rinse off the tooth’s root with water – do not scrub or remove any tissue clinging to the tooth. Try putting the tooth back into its socket; be sure it is facing the right direction and do not force it into place. If you cannot get the tooth back in, put it in a container with milk, water with a pinch of salt, or a commercial product for saving teeth.  

To ease pain from a completely or partially knocked-out tooth, take an over-the-counter pain reliever and apply a cold compress.  

Dental abscess

Rinse your mouth with a solution of ½ teaspoon of table salt in 8 ounces of water to ease the pain and draw the pus to the surface.  

Lost or broken dental restoration

Got a lost or broken filling? Stick a little sugarless gum into the cavity. Don’t use sugar-filled gum, as it will cause pain.  

You may be able to put a restoration back in place for a temporary fix. Before you do, coat the inside of the restoration with toothpaste or denture adhesive (not superglue!) to hold it in place.

Severe soft tissue injury

Soft tissue injuries usually cause bleeding and pain. To control bleeding:

• Rinse your mouth with a salt solution

• To control bleeding, put moistened gauze on the bleeding site and apply steady pressure  

• To control pain, apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth over the affected area

Where can I find an emergency dentist near me?

If you are having a dental emergency, contact CHS Dental. In addition to dental emergency services, we offer cosmetic and implant dentistry. We also serve patients outside of Charleston, so we can be your dentist in Mt. Pleasant too! You can also schedule an appointment for non-emergency care.  

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