Emergency Dentist In Edison, NJ

A knocked out tooth is definitely an emergency. Whether it happened during a hockey game or a random fall at home doesn’t matter. The good news is that the tooth can usually be saved, if the ligament can be kept alive. If you follow the instructions below, your tooth has about a 90 percent chance of survival.

Find the tooth and handle it gently. When a tooth is knocked out the ligament attached is destroyed. For the tooth to survive, the tooth needs all the tiny nerve fibers to remain attached. So, pick up the tooth by the crown (the visible portion above the root). Don’t touch the root. Gently wide off any excess dirt from the tooth and rinse it off in warm water. Rinse your mouth, as well. Now place the tooth back into the socket, making sure it is in the right direction. If the tooth won’t stay in place, put it in your mouth between your cheek and gums. This sounds odd, but bathing the tooth in saliva will help keep it alive.

If it’s not possible to keep the tooth in your mouth, store it in cold, whole milk. We also have a cell-cultured solution that will help keep the tooth alive for a longer period.

Our teeth take a ton of force when chewing and biting. When the tooth enamel is damaged, biting something hard can cause the tooth to crack. Depending upon how deep the crack, the pulp inside, complete with its nerves and blood vessels, may be exposed and this can create some serious pain. Sudden pain when eating, especially if the food is either hot or cold, is a telltale sign you’ve cracked a tooth and the nerves are telling you about it. This is a dental emergency and we need to see you immediately to not expose the interior of the tooth to possible infection.

If your tooth breaks in half, this is also an emergency. The pulp of the tooth is now exposed and open to bacteria and infection. If infection enters the broken tooth, it will need a root canal or possible extraction if left unattended. Find the piece or pieces of the broken tooth. Rinse the tooth pieces and your mouth with warm water.

You’ll probably have some bleeding, so take a piece of gauze and place it over the spot and gently bite down to create some pressure to stop the bleeding. A cold compress applied to the cheek will help with pain and swelling.

Unlike knocked out full teeth, broken teeth cannot be put back together. However, we still want to see the tooth piece or pieces, if possible. If the chipped area isn’t that large, we may be able to place a filling or apply dental bonding. A porcelain veneer can mask a chip, as well. For more extensive fractures, placing a crown over the tooth is more likely.

If a filling comes out or a dental crown comes loose, these usually are not emergencies that need immediate assistance. We do want to see you during the next day’s office hours, however. In both of these instances, decay is probably the cause. With fillings, new decay likely has developed between the old filling and the tooth. With crowns, decay may have formed under the crown on the remainder of the natural tooth.

A missing filling opens the tooth to invading bacteria. To cover the hole, you can place a piece of sugarless gum into the tooth. Do not use regular gum, as the sugar will cause pain. You can also fill the hole with dental cement that can be found in the dental section of the pharmacy. If there is any pain, you can mitigate it by applying clove oil with a cotton swab to the area with the missing filling.

If a crown comes loose or falls off, find the crown and clean the inside. You can place it back onto the tooth, if possible. This will protect what remains of the natural tooth. Place dental cement on the inside of the crown and put it back on the tooth. If you can’t find dental cement, denture adhesive can be used. Do not use household glues, as they are not safe for your mouth, and they may damage your tooth and the crown.

When we see you, we’ll remove the new decay and place a new filling. If the tooth with the crown has new decay, we’ll need to remove that and prepare the tooth for the crown again. We will likely need to make adjustments to the crown.

A toothache can come on suddenly and create quite a distraction, precluding sleep and the ability to focus. If the pain is severe, this qualifies as a dental emergency. Severe pain could be a symptom of an abscess or a tooth needing a root canal.

The first step is to alleviate the immediate pain. Start by thoroughly rinsing your mouth with warm water. The goal is to first make sure your mouth is clean. Floss your teeth gently to remove any lodged food debris that could be stuck and placing pressure on a tooth. Over-the-counter pain medication can alleviate the pain. If the pain doesn’t subside, make an appointment to see us.

When an object becomes lodged between your teeth, this may or may not be an emergency. With small pieces of food, such as popcorn hulls, try using dental floss and the tip of your toothbrush to dislodge the item. You can’t leave pieces of food under the gums as this will lead to gum irritation and possible infection. A toothpick can also be used to gently move under the gumline and remove the debris. Be careful not to push it deeper, however.

Do not use a pin, knife tip, or other sharp or metal object. These can damage your gums and the enamel on your teeth. If you can’t dislodge the object, call us.