Category Archives: Dental Emergency

Dental Emergency

Can’t afford a dentist and now I have an emergency

I haven’t been able to afford a dentist in a while. Now I’ve got a loose tooth. I don’t recall getting hit, but it worries me that this tooth might fall out. What do I do?

Drew O. – Cleveland

Drew,

I’m sorry for the situation you’re in. I have a strong suspicion that your tooth is loose because of gum disease. If you don’t have tooth trauma, but have loose teeth, your gums are often the culprit.

I’m assuming you don’t have a dentist, however you need to get this looked at as soon as possible.

There are emergency dentists who will see you and understand your financial situation. Some of them have interest free payment plans. Others will just charge you what you can afford.

The key is to be honest with them. But, don’t put this off. This won’t be the only tooth you’ll lose.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Dental Emergency

Store bought fillings

About a year ago I saw some store bought fillings at the pharmacy. I filed it away for future reference. Last night, one of my fillings fell out. I’m trying to leave town to pick up my son from college and don’t have time for a dental appointment. Can I just use the stuff from the store?

Amanda L. – Iowa

Amanda,

If at all possible I’d call an emergency dentist and see if he can fit you in right now.  Sometimes they can.  If not, you can use the store bought filling, but not for more than a day or two at the most.

It doesn’t do what a real filling will do. Plus, there is an underlying issue that has caused your filling to fail. That needs to be dealt with or you could end up with a more serious situation.

This blog is brought to  you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Dental Emergency

Dentist doesn’t care about my broken crown

I had a temporary crown break. My dentist said it would be several days before he could see me and that this wasn’t considered an emergency. I called another dentist explaining the situation. He fit me in right away and said it most definitely is an emergency. How can there be such a difference in emergency standards?

Jean F. – Philadelphia

Jean,

Every dentist is different in what their dental emergency policy is. Some dentists will see you the same day, even if you’re not a patient of theirs. Others may not see even their own patients, unless they’ve lost a tooth.

The key is to discuss these policies with your dentist before there is an actual issue. That way you’re not taken by surprise when something does arise.

It sounds like you demand more individualized care from your dentist and your current dentist’s policy might not fit with your expectations.

This blog is brought to you by  Lake Forest Dentist Dr. Richard Cottrell.

Dental Emergency

Should I have brought my son in?

Yesterday my son got kicked in the mouth at school. It knocked out one of his teeth.  The school didn’t tell me about it until later, which really angered me.  I would have wanted to come up and check on him.  By the time I found out about it, he was fine, so I decided just to let it alone.  Now I’m sitting at home wondering if I should have brought my son in to the dentist to have him checked out?  Did I do the wrong thing?

Yvette L.- Seattle

Yvette,

I am assuming were talking about a baby tooth and not an adult tooth, right?  If it is a baby tooth and there doesn’t seem to be any trauma, then you’re probably fine.  It wouldn’t hurt to get him looked at, but it is certainly not a dental emergency. Little children’s teeth don’t really have roots, so there isn’t generally trauma when one gets banged out prematurely.

If it was an adult tooth, then he would have needed to be seen right away to have any chance of saving the tooth.  Those roots go deep. You would have wanted to keep it moist by putting it in a glass of milk or if that isn’t available, you could put it in your mouth by your cheek. 

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Dental Emergency

Can I put off a root canal?

If I am not in pain, can I put off a root canal. If so, how long?

Deidre I. – Louisiana

Deidre,

If your infection isn’t active, then you can put it off indefinitely. However, if there is pain, even a little bit, that means you have an active infection. Sometimes the pain stops and then starts again. Whenever there is pain, I suggest you get seen right away.

If you don’t have a dentist, you can always go to an emergency dentist, at least just for this treatement. Then, you can take your time looking for a new dentist.

Another sign of infection is if you have a pimple on your gums or some drainage in your mouth.

If you put off the root canal too long, you run the risk of your tooth becoming unsaveable, due to root reabsorption.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Dental Emergency

Am I too old to have my wisdom teeth removed?

I have a wisdom tooth that is really bothering me, but I am 33 years old and am a little concerned that I might be too old to have it removed. Is there much risk of complication at my age? Also, should I just have all of them removed or just wait until they bother me?

Rory Ann- Michigan

Rory Ann,

I don’t really get too concerned about complication until someone is 40. You’re young enough still where I think you can safely do this procedure.

If your wisdom tooth is bothering you, then there really isn’t much choice but to remove it anyway. Leaving a wisdom tooth infection is extremely dangerous. It can spread to your jawbone, even your brain. You want to get it removed as soon as possible.

I like the idea of you getting all of them out at the same time.  It’s no harder on your recovery and it is safer than waiting until they bother you.  That might not happen until you are over the age of 40, when complication, including your jaw breaking are more likely.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Emergency Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Dental Emergency

Can’t drink hot chocolate-my tooth hurts

We’ve finally gotten to the cold weather and my tooth hurts like crazy. I can’t even drink my coveted hot chocolate. Is there anything I can do to get rid of this pain?

Sara G. – Utah

Sara,

When your tooth is sensitive to heat, it means the pulp inside your tooth is so inflamed that it is about to die.  This is something that needs treatment fairly quickly.  You’ll need a root canal treatment and a dental crown.

You’ll want to get seen before any infection spreads elsewhere in your body.  Explain to your dentist what is happening. If you’re still haveing trouble getting in quickly, there are dentists that will see you the same day in those situations. Just tell them what is going on and they will fit you in.

Don’t put this off. I want to reiterate that it is important to deal with this before things get worse.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert, AZ Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Dental Emergency

Emergency Preparation: A knocked out tooth

I’ve been making out a list of emergency prepardness sheets for a workshop I’ve been invited to speak. I thought it would be useful to list one of my sheets.

Dealing With A Knocked Out Tooth

1. Get to the dentist as quickly as possible. It is ideal to get there within the first 30 minutes. If you cannot reach your dentist do a quick Google search for an emergency dentist. However, seeing as we’re making a preparedness chart, it wouldn’t hurt to do a search for emergency dentists ahead of time so you have a list ready.

2. Call the dentist ahead of time so they can be prepared for you when you get there.

3. Carefully remove any dirt from your tooth by holding it by the crown (the top visible part of your tooth) and gently rinse it with water. DO NOT  scrub the tooth. DO NOT  hold the tooth by the root part.

4. Keep the tooth moist. You can do this by holding it between your cheek and gum, or by placing it in a cup of milk.

Now you know what to do with a knocked out tooth.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Dental Emergency

Concerned about Dry Socket

I had a molar removed today. They told me about dry socket. I needed to take some medication, so ate a small bit of food. Some of it got trapped, so I gently cleaned it out. Now there is a gaping hole. Does this mean I have dry socket? Benjamin H.- from Salt Lake City Benjamin, The clot being gone is a symptom of dry socket and not the cause. We used to think the removal of the blood clot was an affect, but not we know the real problem comes from bone damage done during surgery. Just make sure that messing with the site didn’t cause too much bleeding, and you should be fine. If it does begin to bleed too much contact your dentist’s office. If you can’t reach him, look for an emergency dentist in your area.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Dental Emergency

Gum bump with puss

Below my gum there is a pimple kind of bump with puss in it. What should I do?

Kevin J. from Philadelphia

Kevin,

It sounds like you have a fistula. You may have an abscessed tooth. It is common for people to have a tooth infection without realizing it because the infection is draining in the mouth and there is little or no pain coming from the tooth. Sometimes you’ll have pain upon chewing, a mild ache, or sensitivity to hot/cold temperatures, but not always. I advise you go see your dentist. He can evaluate whether your tooth is infected. If it is, you’ll need antibiotics, a root canal, and a dental crown. At our office we can do one appointment CEREC crowns.

Sometimes you can have an infected tooth that causes a lot of pain. If that happens to you, it is perfectly acceptable to get a same day appointment with an emergency dentist. They’ll be able to get you out of pain right then, but may need to schedule the permanent fix for a later date.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert dentist Dr. Matt Roper.