Dental Care

Retrieve the tooth, hold it by the crown (the part that is exposed in the mouth) and rinse off the tooth root if it is dirty. Do NOT scrub the tooth or remove any attached tissue fragments.

If possible, try to put the tooth back in its place in the mouth. Make sure it is facing the right way and NEVER force it into the socket.

If it’s not possible to reinsert the tooth in the socket. Then put the tooth in a small container of milk or Gatorade.

In all cases, see your dentist as quickly as possible! Knocked out teeth have the highest chances of being saved if seen by a dentist and returned to their socket within 1 hour of being knocked out.

If possible, attempt to put the tooth back into place, but never force it. Call to visit our office right away. Until you reach our office, to relieve pain, apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth or cheek in the affected area. Take an over-the-counter pain reliever if necessary.

Clean the area gently with a cloth and apply cold compresses to reduce any swelling. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, go to a hospital or emergency room immediately.

Rinse your mouth with warm Water to clean it out. Gently use dental floss or an interdental cleaner to ensure that there is no food or other debris caught between the teeth. Never put aspirin or any other painkiller against the gums near the aching tooth because it may burn the gum tissue. If the pain persists, call us!

Try to gently remove the object with dental floss; avoid cutting the gums. Never use a sharp instrument to remove any object that is stuck between your teeth. If you are unable to dislodge the object using dental floss then please contact us.

If a wire breaks or sticks out of a bracket or band and is poking your cheek, tongue, or gum, try to push the wire into a more comfortable position. If you are unable to reposition the wire, cover the end with orthodontic wax, a small cotton ball, or a piece of gauze until you can get to your orthodontist’s office. Never cut the wire, as you could end up swallowing it or breathing it into your lungs.

Apply cold compress to control swelling and go to the nearest emergency room as soon as possible.

The extraction site heals by forming clot within the socket. The blood clot can be pulled out of the socket by creating a vacuum in the mouth. When you drink through a straw, spit, or smoke, you create this vacuum so avoid these activities for at least 48 hours. Also, continue to floss and brush your teeth, but do not brush the socket and do not use a mouth rinse for at least 48 hours. After 48 hours, you may start to rinse with salt water.

Continue to bite on the gauze for 30-45 minutes and then replace with new gauze and continue to apply pressure to the site of extraction by biting down. Blood mixes with saliva and it may appear as if you are bleeding a lot, please do not let this concern you. Bleeding may continue for 24 hours, however, if severe bleeding continues after 24 hours then please call the office.

Because a tooth extraction is a surgical procedure, it is important to allow your body time to heal itself. The day of the extraction, you should consume lots of fluids and only eat soft foods so as to not disrupt the extraction site. Avoid eating crunchy foods, such as tortilla chips or popcorn, near the extraction site because the food can get into the socket and prevent healing. After 48 hours, you can go back to normal eating habits.

You may be sore and swollen for a couple days, but the swelling usually begins to subside after 48 hours. During the first 48 hours avoid exercise. If the pain does not decrease, use pain medication as directed and call the office if the medication does not seem to be working. If antibiotics are prescribed, continue to take them until all the medication is gone, even if symptoms and signs of infection are gone.

If you had sutures placed, the sutures will dissolve and fall out. If they have not come out after 7 days, please call the office and we will remove them.

If you just had a composite or white filling placed then you can expect to feel hot and cold sensitivity for a couple weeks. The sensitivity should progressively improve over time. If the sensitivity worsens, then please call the office.

You may also experience some discomfort or pain when you chew. When the filling is placed, most patients are numb and, therefore, they do not always bite correctly. When a patient’s bite is off, then the patient feels discomfort or pain when eating. If you are experiencing this, please call our office to schedule a time to have a bite adjustment. It is important to address your bite adjustment sooner then later, otherwise, your tooth could be traumatized and experience permanent damage.

When anesthetic has been used, your lips and tongue may be numb for several hours after the appointment. Avoid any chewing and hot beverages until the numbness has worn off. It is extremely easy to bite or burn your tongue or lip when you are numb. The injection site(s) of the anesthetic may also be sore. Ibuprofen (Motrin), Tylenol, or aspirin all work well to alleviate the soreness and tenderness.

Any time a filling is placed, there is less natural tooth. If there is less natural tooth, then the tooth becomes weaker since the filling material is not as strong as natural tooth. If your tooth breaks, then a new filling, if not too large, may be placed. However, if a filling becomes too large then a crown will be recommended to protect the remaining tooth.