If you are dealing with a dental emergency, please call our Pomona dentist office immediately. Our team will work with you to get you to our office at your earliest convenience.
A dental emergency can happen anywhere, anytime. Knowing what to do in the case of a dental emergency can save you time, money, and discomfort. At Cosmetic Dentistry Associates, we make every effort to address your dental emergency as soon as possible. In many cases, a dental emergency must be addressed as soon as possible to avoid further issues.
What is A Dental Emergency?
Understanding what constitutes a dental emergency and what doesn’t can be interesting. One way to determine if you are dealing with a dental emergency is to ask yourself these key questions:
- Are you experiencing severe dental pain?
- Are you bleeding from the mouth?
- Do you have an infection?
- Did you lose a permanent tooth?
- Do you have swelling in the face or mouth?
If you answer yes to any of these questions, we highly recommend contacting your local emergency dentist at Cosmetic Dentistry Associates.
Common Examples of Dental Emergencies
- Injured jaw
- Severe bleeding
- A painful toothache
- Loose permanent tooth
- Knocked out a permanent tooth
- Intense swelling
When you contact your dentist, be sure to explain your symptoms in great detail to help your dentist better gauge what you may be experiencing. Understand that the sooner you see a dentist, the more likely they will be able to save a damaged tooth.
Preventing A Dental Emergency
Whether you have already experienced a dental emergency and want to avoid another or just want to avoid one from the start, it is important to keep these tips in mind. One of the best ways to avoid a dental emergency is to visit your dentist at least twice a year for routine dental exams.
At your routine dental exam, your dentist can spot any signs of dysfunction and treat it before it develops into an advanced issue. If you visit the dentist regularly, they can spot issues early, thus minimizing your chance of a dental emergency.
Helpful tips to avoid a dental emergency
- Maintain a healthy oral hygiene routine. Make sure you routinely brush, floss, and rinse your teeth to remove plaque from the teeth. If left untreated, plaque can weaken the teeth and increase your risk of tooth decay and gum disease.
- Assess your bad dental habits. Using your teeth as tools, nail-biting, and teeth grinding are some bad dental habits that can lead to a dental emergency if left untreated. Be sure to identify your bad dental habits and talk to one of our experienced dentists to learn ways to fix your habits.
- Get screened regularly for periodontal disease and oral cancer. In many cases, we perform routine screenings at your routine dental examination. However, we may recommend you get screened more often for patients with a greater risk of oral cancer and periodontal disease.
- Wear a mouthguard during physical activity. A custom-fit mouthguard can protect the teeth and jaw during contact sports. Many patients experience knocked-out teeth during sports, so it is important to take preventive measures to protect your teeth and jaw.
Dental Emergencies FAQs
Dental emergencies can happen to anyone at any time. Learn more about them by reading the answers to these frequently asked questions.
What do I do if my tooth gets knocked out?
Pick your tooth up by its crown (Not the root) if your healthy tooth gets abruptly knocked out in an accident and you can locate it. Then, place it in a cup of your own saliva or milk to keep it alive. Visit the dentist as soon as possible, and we may be able to reattach it. refrain from using your mouth until you can visit the dentist. If you cannot find the tooth, we can provide tooth replacement options.
What do I do if my tooth gets chipped or cracks?
Do not eat hot or cold foods, as this can cause intense pain. Refrain from using the tooth until you visit the dentist for recommendations. Chipped teeth can easily be fixed with many cosmetic and restorative dental services.
What do I do if my dental prosthesis falls out?
Most dental prosthetics are permanent. Dental prosthetics include implants, crowns, bridges, fixed dentures, and veneers. If your permanent prosthetic falls out or feels loose and is causing irritation, it’s time to visit the dentist. Waiting too long to reattach or adjust it can cause more damage and pain. It is important to visit the dentist sooner than later when any emergency dental concern or non-emergency issue arises.
Can I go to the emergency room for my dental emergency?
No, any emergency dental problem needs to be treated by a licensed dentist. Unless there’s one of them in your local ER, there’s often not much the hospital can do for a dental emergency. At most, they can manage pain. They can also help take care of soft tissue issues, like biting your cheek. Otherwise, they aren’t able to perform dental treatments.
What’s the most common dental emergency?
A toothache or tooth pain is the most common emergency we see. It can have many different causes, so it’s essential that you get it checked out by a professional. Broken teeth, infections, abcesses, and more can all cause you to experience pain. Some of these things aren’t visibile to the naked eye.
Am I having a dental emergency?
A dental emergency is anything that needs to be taken care of right away. This includes sudden pain, bleeding, and broken or knocked-out restorations or teeth. Typically, it’s easy to know that you have an emergency. It’s something that may cause some panic and you know your need to get things checked out immediately.
Emergency Dentist in Pomona, NY
As highly trained dentists in Rockland County, Dr. Peter Auster and Dr. Frances Tang are committed to addressing all dental emergencies in a timely fashion. Our team takes a compassionate and proactive approach to your dentistry needs. If you are experiencing a dental emergency, please contact our Pomona dental office immediately.
If you have not visited the dentist recently, visit us for a routine dental exam. To schedule an appointment, call (845) 241-0656 or request an appointment online.