Dental emergencies can be very painful and even quite scary, and they often seem to happen at the most inconvenient time. The good news is that whatever is wrong with your teeth, our dentists in Newcastle can help. Problems include chipping or fracturing a tooth or partly or completely knocking it out. One of the most frequent complaints is tooth discomfort or pain. We can help if you lose a filling or if a restoration like a crown, veneer or bridge comes loose or falls out.
What to Do If Something is Wrong with a Tooth?
If you notice something isn’t quite right with a tooth or feel discomfort or pain, please contact West Bowmanville Family Dental immediately. The sooner you get in contact with us, the more quickly we can help you. When you contact us during normal office hours, we offer same-day appointments for people in pain and who need to see a dentist quickly. If your dental emergency occurs during the weekend or after hours, don’t panic as we have a dentist on call and who will help you cope with the problem.
Some dental emergencies in Clarington need immediate attention, while others still need prompt dental care but may not be quite as time-sensitive.
Toothache
A tooth may ache if it has potentially become infected. The ache can range from a dull throb to more intermittent sharp pain. When you contact our dentist in Courtice, they will ask you to describe your symptoms and make an appointment to see you quickly. In the meantime, over the counter painkillers can help with the discomfort, but do not put the painkillers directly onto the tooth as they could damage your gums. Use an ice pack to ease the discomfort, but do not use heat, as heat will make it feel worse.
Broken or Chipped Tooth
Usually, it is possible to repair a broken or chipped tooth. A small chip is often mended with a white filling material. A more serious injury may need root canal therapy if the damage has reached the central part of the tooth, and you could need a dental crown that protects and preserves the damaged tooth.
Knocked-Out Tooth
When a permanent tooth is knocked out, you must act quickly as there is only a short time when we might be able to save the tooth and reinsert it. If you can, rinse the tooth and place it back into the empty socket. Otherwise, please put it in some milk and come and see us immediately. The faster you can get to a dentist, the better the chances of saving the tooth, ideally within the first half an hour after injury.
Loose or Missing Filling or Crown
If you lose a filling, you can replace it temporarily with a small piece of sugar-free chewing gum. The gum will protect the cavity until you can see our dentist and have it replaced properly. If a crown comes loose, you can buy over-the-counter temporary dental cement, but otherwise, store it safely and make an appointment to see us as soon as you can. Please do not use any form of glue to try to stick it back in the mouth. The glue could well be toxic, and you will damage the crown and your tooth.
Broken Denture
If you break a denture, please do not try to stick it together yourself, as it must be mended professionally to ensure it fits properly. Household glue will also damage your denture. We can arrange for your denture to be mended properly and quickly, so you should not be without teeth for long.