Dental Emergencies
Chandler, AZ
 A dental emergency can be a horrible position to be in. Our staff at Posh Dental takes dental emergencies very seriously and will do our best to accommodate our patients as quickly as possible; we do not want anyone to be in pain. Before your appointment, there are steps that you can take to alleviate pain, or to assist in the restoration of your tooth.
If you are experiencing a dental emergency, including a toothache, a broken tooth or a knocked out tooth, contact Dr. Gabriel for more information on what to do next. In the meantime, the following steps can help guide you.
Toothache
A toothache can be a frustrating thing; we will want to see you ensure that a toothache is not due to decay or a cavity. Before your appointment, you can take the following steps to provide you some relief from a toothache:
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Brush and Floss: Begin with brushing and flossing your teeth thoroughly. This is to remove any stuck food debris or plaque that can be causing discomfort. |
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Medication: An over the counter pain relief medication such as Tylenol or IBUProfen can provide a temporary resolution. |
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Hot or Cold: Pain relief can be found with the application of a hot or cold compress. |
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Salt Rinse: With warm water and a spoonful of sea salt, you can make a rinse to help relieve the pain from an infection. Dissolve the salt into the warm water, and then proceed to gargle and then spit out the warm salt water. Make sure that you are swishing the warm salt water around the area that is hurting, and do not swallow. |
Broken Tooth
A cracked, fractured, or broken tooth can be a shocking and painful problem. There are steps that you can take before coming into our office to help, including:
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Collect: If possible, collect the broken pieces of your tooth. This may be helpful to the restoration. Place any broken pieces into a cup of milk as a first choice, if milk is unavailable, water is the next best choice. |
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Pain Relief: There are some steps you can take to relieve pain, first take an over the counter pain relief medication such as Tylenol or IBUprofen. Next, apply a hot or cold compress to the area. |
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Dental Cement: If you are unable to come to our office immediately, you may find some relief by applying dental cement to the tooth. This will help cover the exposed dentin which is causing the tooth to feel pain. Limited use dental cement can be found at your local drugstore. |
Knocked Out Tooth
Known in dentistry as an avulsed tooth, a tooth that has been knocked out can be saved. In specific circumstances and situations, we can place a knocked out tooth back into place, saving the tooth. If you experience a knocked out tooth, this is what you should do before coming into our office:
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Locate: Right away, locate the tooth, and attempt to place it back into its position. If the patient is a young child, you may not want to place it back in their mouth unless you are confident that they will not swallow it. |
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Or a cup: If replacing the tooth back into the socket is not an option, the next best step would be to place the tooth in a cup, preferably with milk, otherwise with water. |
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DO NOT Clean: Other than a slight rinse to remove dirt, do not clean the tooth. Frequently patients see that the tooth has what appears to be tartar on the tooth and the patient wants to scrub away this material. DO NOT remove it. Though there may, in fact, be plaque on the tooth, there can also be the necessary connective tissues we need to reattach. Let Dr. Gabriel determine what part needs to be cleaned. |
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