Your Emergency Dentist in Spring Hill

When choosing a dentist, you need one who is always there for you—even in times of an emergency. At Family Dental Associates, we are always here for our patients, even when the unexpected happens. Although no one is ever quite prepared for an oral health emergency, one in Six Americans will face this very situation this year. When the unexpected happens, you need to call your emergency dentist in Spring Hill right away. If you delay care, irreversible damage can occur. You need to respond quickly to promote a successful outcome to the situation.

Treating Dental Emergencies

There is often a lot of confusion about what constitutes as a dental emergency. As a result, you may delay care, which would cause you to lose the tooth. You need to respond to each situation properly at home and then call your dentist right away for a same-day appointment.

Broken Tooth: Trauma or injury to the mouth can cause a tooth to be knocked out. Depending on the health of the tooth and how quickly you receive care, we may be able to reinsert it. Hold it by the crown and rinse it with water. Do not use any cleaners, scrub it, or dry it. If you can, place it back into the socket. If you are not successful, put it in a cup of milk or water while you head to our office.

Dislodged Tooth: A tooth may be knocked out of position but not fully out of the mouth. When this occurs, gently try to push it back into position and bite on a piece of gauze to prevent it from moving. Contact our office right away to have the tooth evaluated.

Broken or Fractured Tooth: A tooth that has suffered a minor break or fracture does not require same-day care, but it will need to be treated the next day to prevent infection. If a tooth has suffered a significant break, rinse your mouth with warm water and avoid placing pressure on it. Use a cold compress to the outside of the mouth, take over-the-counter pain relievers to manage discomfort, and contact our office for treatment.

Severe Toothache: A sudden toothache or one that progressively becomes worse can indicated a dental abscess. When a tooth becomes infected, it needs treated right away to restore its health while preventing the infection from spreading to other areas.

Broken Restoration: Although fillings and crowns are durable, they can become loose and fall out. Do not try to repair the restoration on your own. Avoid placing pressure on the tooth and keep it clean while you call our office to have it fixed.

Broken Dentures: If your dentures break, stop using them immediately and do not try to fix them at home. We will provide the repairs or replacement you need to safely restore your oral functions.

Your Emergency Dentist

At Family Dental Associates, we will treat your dental emergency in Spring Hill the same day. Contact our office today to speak to a member of our dental team to help you during this difficult time.

Dental Emergency FAQs

Dental emergencies can occur at any moment, and when they do, it is important that you are prepared. Knowing how to take care of your current situation until you can get in to see your emergency dentist in Spring Hill is crucial, which is why our team at Family Dental Associates has listed a few common frequently asked questions about dental emergencies. Is it an emergency? Should I go to the emergency room? What should I do about something stuck in my teeth? We’ve compiled answers to all these questions for you to review.

How can I tell if my situation is an actual dental emergency?

While it’s not always easy to determine if the problem you’re dealing with is an actual emergency, there are a few ways you can tell, such as:

• Bleeding
• Swelling
• Broken or Knocked-Out Tooth
• Intense Pain

All of the items mentioned above point to a serious problem that you should have checked immediately. Dental emergencies don’t fix themselves, nor do they just “go away on their own.” No matter how mild or severe, if you want to be cautious, it’s always best to contact us when an emergency happens. Once we better understand the situation, we can better determine if you should see us right away.

What do I do about an object stuck in my teeth?

The first thing you should remember is to never use tools of any kind to dislodge an object from your teeth. Not only can this be harmful to your teeth and gums, but it can also have devastating consequences should your hand slip.

Instead, try using waxed dental floss. Gently move it back and forth between your teeth in an attempt to dislodge the item. If this doesn’t work, you can try a water flosser. These are designed to push water out forcibly, which can be beneficial is trying to remove something stuck between your teeth.

If neither the floss or the water flosser work, call our office and schedule an appointment.

How long will my toothache last?

As much as we would like to tell you a set time, it’s simply not possible since we don’t know what is causing the toothache. On average, the discomfort you feel from your toothache should never last more than 1-2 days. If the pain persists beyond that timeframe, call us immediately. It will be best for us to examine the tooth in question to determine if it is something like a cavity or an infection that exists on the inside of your tooth.

Once we have a diagnosis, we can begin to craft a personalized treatment plan to get you on the path to being free of the pain.

Should I go to the emergency room?

There are three dental emergency situations that should have you heading to your local emergency room instead of the dentist office:

• Bleeding that will not stop
• Increased swelling
• Broken, fractured, or dislocated jawbone
• Other life-threatening injuries

Any other type of dental emergency is best seen by your dentist in Spring Hill. The reason is that they will be able to better diagnose and treat your problem much quicker and more effectively than a general doctor. Not only do they have the educational knowledge, but they have the training and expertise to handle dental emergency situations.