When a tooth becomes cracked, chipped, or even knocked out completely, then you need to seek emergency dental care to avoid major complications for your oral health. In addition, you can take steps to ease your initial discomfort. At our dental office in Tampa, FL, we discuss our approach to emergency dentistry.
When to Contact Our Office
When you sustain an injury to a tooth, one that damages a tooth or knocks it loose or out completely, you should contact our team right away. The same goes for a loose or missing restoration, such as a filling or crown, or unexplained pain in your smile. If something is trapped between teeth and causing pain, and you cannot remove it with floss, let us know as well. Even if this happens outside of business hours, give us a call. If you have a true dental emergency, we will arrange a time to see you quickly and administer treatment to preserve and protect your smile. Without treatment, many dental emergencies leave your smile vulnerable to painful decay and infection, or even tooth loss.
Steps to Ease Discomfort
Our team will provide restorative dental care to repair and treat your teeth, and we can also replace compromised restorations or address other injuries to your smile. But in the time between your injury and your visit, you can take steps to ease your discomfort and limit complications. For example, you can take an over-the-counter pain reliever, and if you have bleeding, you can stem it with gauze or cloth. A cold compress or ice pack to the side of your face could prevent facial swelling too. If a tooth is chipped, see if you can recover and bring any pieces with you. If a tooth is knocked out, pick it up only by the crown, not the root. Put it in a sealed container of milk or salt water, and bring it with you. These steps can help ease your pain before we can administer treatment.
Preventing Injury
You can also take steps to prevent injuries to your smile. If you play full contact sports, or practice boxing or martial arts, then be sure you wear a mouthguard. Our team can discuss a custom option that fits your smile comfortably and provides a greater level of protection when compared to traditional boil-and-bite options from sporting goods stores. This helps prevent injuries or knocked out teeth. If you or practice good oral hygiene, this keeps your protective enamel strong and limits the cases of major injuries too.
Find Emergency Dental Care in Tampa, FL
Our team provides treatment to treat injuries and take the appearance of your teeth into account too. To learn more about emergency dentistry, give us a call and talk to our team at our Tampa, FL office today at (813)792-8211!