Emergencies can, obviously, occur at any time. If they occur during your dentist’s office hours at Dental by Design and you can have it taken care of promptly, that’s the best-case scenario. However, if you should suffer from a dental emergency in Phoenix outside of office hours, there are steps you can take to save your tooth until you can get into the office. Give us a call first as you may be referred to another dentist, but otherwise, here are a few tips on what you can do to preserve the injured tooth and minimize pain.

Toothache

Toothaches are often a warning sign of more complicated and potentially serious issues. Trauma, infection, cavities, or erupting wisdom teeth are all causes of a toothache. Your dentist at Dental by Design will be able to determine the cause of the tooth pain and help to relieve it, so it is important to make a dental appointment as soon as possible. In the meantime, you can try to ease pain and discomfort with over-the-counter painkillers.

Knocked-out Tooth

Having an avulsed (knocked-out) tooth will require more urgent care than other dental emergencies. Schedule an appointment as soon as possible and take the following steps to preserve the tooth.

• Recover the tooth. Handle it only by the crown, not the root.
• Gently rinse with running water. Do not use soap.
• Try to place the tooth back into its socket and hold it in place with a piece of gauze. If this cannot be done, keep the tooth in a cup of milk or your saliva until you can see your dentist.

Sore Gums

Like a toothache, sore gums can be a sign of other issues, namely gum disease. See your dentist as soon as possible to have the problem diagnosed and treated. To alleviate the discomfort of sore gums, you can rinse your mouth with warm salt water. Also, check along the gum line to make sure that any food is removed. Apply a cold compress if the face is also swollen.

Cracked/Broken Tooth

A cracked tooth does not require care as immediately as an avulsed tooth, but it should be taken care of. Until you can have it treated, try applying a dental cement to preserve the tooth and relieve any pain.

Contact your dentist at Dental by Design for emergency dentistry in Phoenix.