With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the nation, many dentists have had to shutter their doors for regular cleanings and checkups. However, Congressional Dental Care is still open to help you if you experience a dental emergency during this time. Dr. Ali Sarkarzadeh, a dentist in Rockville, MD, discusses common dental emergencies and what you should do if one happens to you.
Taking Care of a Dental Emergency
If you’re experiencing a dental emergency, the first thing you should do is call our office immediately. Just like with medical emergencies, these are things that need to be seen and checked out as soon as possible. Below are common dental emergencies and what you can do to help them until you get into our office.
Severe Dental Pain
Tooth pain can stem from any number of causes. Typically, tooth pain can be caused by dental trauma, tooth decay, an abscess, or an infection. Many times, you won’t be able to tell the official cause of the pain on your own without a dentist examining it. Use over the counter pain medication to help you take care of the pain until you can be seen. A cold compress can be used if you have any swelling along with it.
Knocked-Out Tooth
It’s imperative that you try not to panic if one of your adult teeth gets knocked out. Take deep breaths and try to retrieve the tooth if you can. Only pick it up by the crown and avoid touching the tooth root. Gently rinse off the tooth, but make sure that you don’t scrub, as this can cause damage. Place the tooth in a cup of milk or your own saliva to keep it as preserved as possible until you can be seen. Never try to put the tooth back in the socket yourself.
Dr. Sarkarzadeh will analyze the tooth to see if it can be salvaged for replacement. However, you don’t have to worry if it can’t. Our office offers many other options to replace missing teeth. In particular, we recommend dental implants. These often feel and look the most natural, so you barely even notice that it’s not your real tooth!
Broken Dental Crown or Bridge
Dental restorations are made to hold up, but we all know that incidents can happen. For a broken or missing dental crown, NEVER, attempt to reattach it yourself. You may do more damage to the tooth. If you have the dental crown, bring it to the appointment. However, dental crowns can rarely be reattached and Dr. Sarkarzadeh will most likely craft you a new one for replacement.
For a dental bridge, make sure you bring all pieces of it into the office. The dentist will examine the damaged restoration and determine if it’s something that can be fixed. He’ll either fix it or determine that it’s better for you to have a new dental bridge made.
Emergency Dentistry at Your Rockville, Maryland Dentist
If you have a dental emergency, call us immediately. We’ll also be here to help you with regular checkups and cleanings after this crisis is over. It’s important to get your teeth looked at after periods of extra stress. Call us or schedule an appointment online for the future. We hope we’ll be seeing you in our office soon!