Dental Emergencies in Lakewood, CO

Dental Emergency Appointments in Lakewood, CO

Dental emergencies are quite frightening and often painful. We’re here to help you address the problem and find an immediate solution. On this page you will find information about common dental emergencies. We’ve also included information on how you can immediately address the issue before coming to our office for further care.

Help! I Need an Emergency Dentist Near Me.

We’re here to help! Whether you’ve cracked a tooth or lost a crown, we can help you fix your dental emergency.

When a dental emergency occurs, prompt treatment is almost always required to alleviate pain and to ensure the teeth have the best possible chance of survival.

Sometimes, teeth become fractured by trauma, grinding, or biting on hard objects. In other cases, fillings, crowns, and other restorative devices can be damaged or fall out of the mouth completely.

If you are in severe pain, it is essential to contact our office
immediately. The pain caused by dental emergencies almost always gets worse without treatment, and dental issues can
seriously jeopardize physical health. Our office is here to help you.

How We Help with Dental Emergencies Near Me?

There are several common types of dental emergencies. These include cracked and broken teeth, lost fillings and crowns, and teeth that have been knocked loose or knocked out completely.

Our office sees patients for all of these issues. We have experience treating dental emergencies and we know how to deal with them in a calm and comfortable way. Keep reading below for a list of the most common dental emergencies that we see and details on how we treat them.

Avulsed tooth (a tooth that has been knocked out)

If your tooth has been knocked clean out of your mouth, it is essential to see a dentist immediately. When a tooth exits the mouth, tissues, nerves, and blood vessels become damaged. In these situations, timing is key: if the tooth can be placed back into its socket within an hour, there is a chance the tissues will grow to support the tooth once again.

Here are some steps to take if your tooth has been knocked out:

Call our office.
Pick up the tooth by the crown and rinse it under warm water. Do not touch the root!
If possible, place the tooth back into its socket. If that’s not possible, tuck it into the cheek pouch. Keeping the tooth in your mouth will prevent it from drying out.
If the tooth cannot be placed in the mouth, put the tooth into a cup of milk, saliva, or water as a last resort. It is very important to keep the tooth moist.
Get to our office, quickly and safely.

When you arrive at our office, we will try to place the tooth back into its natural socket. In some cases the tooth will reattach. If the tooth is in good condition and the bone around the tooth was not damaged, the tooth could reattach over a period of several weeks. If the inner mechanisms of the tooth are seriously damaged, root canal therapy might be necessary. We will assess your situation in our office and propose the best treatment for your specific needs. Regardless of the treatment option that ends up being best for you, we will see you back in our office for regular check ups to make sure that the site of the injury is healing well.

Lost Filling or Crown

Crowns generally become loose because the tooth beneath them is decaying. The decay causes the tooth to change shape, and this means that the crown no longer fits.

Usually, a crown or filling comes loose while eating. If you think that you accidentally swallowed your crown, it’s a good idea to check with your medical doctor. You may have aspirated, or inhaled, the crown. If this is the case, it could cause damage to your lungs. If you did indeed swallow the crown, it should pass in a day or two with no complications.

Once your crown is out of your mouth, the affected tooth may be incredibly sensitive to temperature changes and pressure. It’s best not to eat until you have had your crown replaced, or at least until you have covered your sensitive tooth with a temporary layer of dental cement.

If a crown has dropped out of the mouth, call our office and make a dental appointment as soon as possible. Keep the crown in a cool, safe, and clean place. There is a possibility that we can reinsert the crown, but if the crown is out of the mouth for a long period of time the teeth may shift or sustain further damage.

If you are not able to immediately come into our office, here are the steps to take:

Apply clove oil to the tooth to alleviate pain.
Clean the crown and affix it onto the tooth with dental cement.This can be purchased at a local pharmacy.
If the crown is lost, smear the top of the tooth with dental cement to alleviate discomfort.
Do not use any kind of glue to affix the crown!

When you arrive at our office, we will check the crown to see if it still fits. If it does, we will reattach it to your tooth. If decay is noted on the tooth, we will treat the decay and have a new crown made. This new crown will fit your new tooth shape.

Cracked or Broken Teeth

The teeth are strong, but they are still prone to fractures, cracks, and breaks. Sometimes fractures are fairly painless, but if the crack extends down into the root, the pain could be extreme. Fractures, cracks, and breaks can take several different forms. They are generally caused by trauma, grinding, and biting. If a tooth has been fractured or cracked, please schedule an appointment with us as quickly as possible.

Before you come into the office, there are a few steps that you can take at home. If a segment of tooth has been broken off, here’s what you should do:

Call our office.
Rinse the tooth fragment and the mouth with lukewarm water.
If you are bleeding, apply gauze to the damaged area in your mouth for ten minutes.
Place a cold, damp dish towel on your cheek to minimize swelling and pain.
If you cannot see us immediately, cover the affected area with over-the-counter dental cement.
Take a topical pain reliever.

The nature of the break or fracture will determine what we are able to do. If a fracture or crack extends into the root, root canal therapy is often the most effective way to retain the tooth. In the case of a complete break, we will usually affix the fragment back onto the tooth as a temporary measure.

Dislodged or Loose Teeth

When a tooth has been dislodged or loosened from its socket by trauma or decay, it might be possible to save it. If the tooth remains in the mouth and is still attached to blood vessels and nerves, there is a good chance that root canal therapy will not be necessary.

Please call our office immediately to make an appointment. In the meantime, use a cold compress and over-the-counter medications to relieve pain. Your dentist will reposition the tooth and add splints to stabilize it. If the tooth fails to heal, root canal therapy might be required.

Don’t Panic, We’re Here for You!

We know how frightening dental emergencies can be. We’re ready to support you and work with you to find the best solution to your problem.

We will deliver the fastest and most comprehensive care for a dental emergency. Contact us today to find out how we can help!