What to do in a dental emergency?
What should you do if you have a serious toothache and your dentist isn’t available? If you’re in agony and painkillers aren’t working, we suggest you call a dental centre that is available for emergencies 24 hours a day.
Here are a few other tips.
- Accident:
Clean the wound and apply a cold compress to the sore spot. Place the lost tooth in saliva without rinsing it and bring it to your emergency appointment. For a loose tooth, you may try to gently put it back in place.
- Toothache:
Use analgesics such as Tylenol or Motrin to relieve the pain and apply an ice compress to the sore spot. See a dentist as soon as possible because the pain may indicate a serious problem.
- My child has knocked out a milk tooth:
Rinse the mouth with warm water and place the broken tooth in salt water (1/2 teaspoon of salt in a cup of water), then call a dental clinic that offers emergency appointments 24 hours a day.
- A filling has fallen out:
Rinse your mouth with warm water and apply orthodontic wax or sugar-free gum to the tooth if it is sensitive or painful. Have the tooth repaired as soon as possible.