When a dental emergency occurs, do you know who to call? Experiencing dental trauma can be scary, but knowing what to do can make it less stressful and more likely to have a positive outcome. Acting fast and getting prompt treatment could be the difference between saving teeth and losing them. Here’s what to do in case of a dental injury.
Report Dental Trauma to an Endodontist
If you sustain an injury to one or more teeth, call an endodontist. Endodontists specialize in treating teeth that have sustained damage to the dental pulp, the soft tissue containing blood vessels and nerves on the inside of a tooth. The chamber inside each tooth that contains the pulp is called the root canal. When the root canal or the dental pulp inside the tooth is injured, the tooth may need endodontic treatment, such as root canal therapy.
Types of Dental Trauma
Endodontists treat all of the following types of dental trauma:
- Broken tooth. If a tooth is broken, depending on how much of the tooth is broken, the dental pulp may be affected. Root canal therapy and a crown will likely be needed to repair the tooth.
- Dislodged tooth. Trauma to a tooth may cause it to be knocked backwards, forwards, to either side, or pushed too far into the socket. When this happens the tooth will need to be repositioned. Often an injury to a tooth that is severe enough to move the tooth out of its usual place is enough to potentially damage the root canal and the dental pulp. The tooth may need root canal therapy.
- Knocked out tooth. A tooth that is knocked completely out of the socket can sometimes be saved, but it must be put back in place as soon as possible. If your tooth gets knocked out, pick it up by the crown of the tooth and avoid touching the roots. Rinse it off and place it back in the socket. Bite down on some gauze or a clean cloth to hold the tooth in place. If you can’t get it back in the socket, place it in a cup of milk to keep it from drying out and contact us right away.
- Injured tooth. A tooth that has sustained a blow or blunt force may look fine, but may be damaged internally. The signs of dental trauma don’t always show up right away, but the tooth may become discolored or start to hurt more in the days following the injury. Contact us as soon as possible if you notice any unusual symptoms with your teeth following a mouth injury.
Can I Go to the Emergency Room for Dental Trauma?
While hospital emergency departments are trained to handle emergencies of all kinds, they may not be the best place for you to seek treatment for a dental trauma. They are prepared to handle life threatening or serious emergencies such as uncontrolled bleeding or loss of consciousness. If your dental trauma is urgent but not life threatening, an endodontist would be better equipped to handle your situation. The emergency department would likely refer you to an endodontist once you are in stable condition.
Eagle Endodontics Provides Treatment for Dental Trauma
In case of a dental emergency during regular office hours, call us right away and we will see you as soon as we can. After hours please call our office and follow the voicemail instructions. Someone will return your call shortly. We will do our best to save your tooth or teeth using endodontic treatments and procedures that are designed to treat damaged teeth.
Call 781-863-2453 right away during or after office hours to report your dental trauma. We will provide you with treatment according to the urgency of the situation.