Dental Emergencies

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West Orange, NJ Emergency Dentistry

Here are some tips for common dental emergencies:

For a knocked-out permanent or adult tooth, keep it moist at all times. If you can, try placing the tooth back in the socket without touching the root. If that’s not possible, place it in between your cheek and gums, in milk, or use a tooth preservation product that has the ADA Seal of Acceptance. Then, get to your dentist’s office right away.
For a cracked tooth, immediately rinse the mouth with warm water to clean the area. Put cold compresses on the face to keep any swelling down.
If you bite your tongue or lip, clean the area gently with water and apply a cold compress.
For toothaches, rinse the mouth with warm water to clean it out. Gently use dental floss to remove any food caught between the teeth. Do not put aspirin on the aching tooth or gum tissues.
For objects stuck in the mouth, try to gently remove with floss but do not try to remove it with sharp or pointed instruments.

When you have a dental emergency, it’s important to contact us as soon as possible. During business hours, please call our office directly. After business hours, please call our emergency line at (973) 903-5275. For any life-threatening emergencies, please call 9-1-1 immediately.

Here are some simple precautions you can take to avoid accident and injury to the teeth:

Wear a mouthguard when participating in sports or recreational activities.
Avoid chewing ice, popcorn kernels and hard candy, all of which can crack a tooth.
Use scissors, NEVER your teeth, to cut things. Never open a bottle with your teeth.