Local Dental Care for Dental Plans

Emergency Dental Care: Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What are some examples of dental care emergencies?

A. Some examples of dentistry emergencies are avulsed teeth, extruded teeth, broken teeth, a bitten tongue or lip, objects that are caught between teeth, toothaches, and possible broken jaw.

Q. What are avulsed teeth?

A. Avulsed teeth are teeth that are knocked out.

Q. What should you do if your tooth is knocked out?

A. If your tooth is knocked out you should carefully rinse the tooth with water. You should attempt to place the tooth back in its socket and secure it with a wet wrap. If you can not place the tooth back in its socket, put it in a glass with either saliva or milk. Then you should contact your dentist immediately.

Q. What are extruded teeth?

A. Extruded teeth are teeth that are forced out of position.

Q. What should you do if your tooth is pushed out of position?

A. If your tooth is pushed out of place you should reposition it to its normal alignment using very light finger pressure. You should hold the tooth in place with a moist gauze or tissue. Make sure that a dentist sees you within a half an hour.

Q. What do you do when you have a toothache?

A. When you have a toothache, you should clean your mouth by rinsing with warm water and remove any food that is trapped between teeth by flossing. Do not apply aspirin on the aching tooth or gum tissues. See your dentist as soon as possible.

Q. What do you do if you have something caught between your teeth

A. If you have an object caught between your teeth you should try to remove it with dental floss gently. Sometimes it helps to double up the floss. Do not attempt to remove the object with a sharp or pointed device. If you can not still can not remove the object, see your dentist.

Q. How would you treat a bitten tongue or lip?

A. To treat a bitten tongue or lip you should gently clean the area with a cloth and apply cold compresses to reduce swelling. If the bleeding continues, go to the hospital emergency room.

Q. Why do we brush our teeth?

A. We brush our teeth to remove bacteria and left over food particles from the mouth.

Q. How long should you brush your teeth?

A. You should brush your teeth twice a day for at least two to three minutes (until they are clean!).

Q. What can you do to slow down acid production when you ca't brush your teeth?

A. If you ca't brush your teeth you can rinse your mouth with water after a meal or snack to reduce acid reproduction by 30%. Wiping your teeth with a napkin is also a temporary measure until you can brush your teeth. Chewing sugar free gum helps, too.

Q. What is tooth bleaching?

A. Tooth bleaching or whitening is the process of lightening stains or discoloration of your teeth.

Q. What is involved in tooth bleaching?

A. Your dentist will determine which bleaching method is right for you. They will either use an in-office bleaching system or laser bleaching during your dental visit. But, most patients choose dentist-at-home-supervised bleaching. This method involves a custom-made mouth guard for the patient along with bleaching materials. You will be given instructions on how to wear the mouth guard and this type of method generally required ten to fourteen days to complete.

Q. How does tooth bleaching work?

A. Tooth bleaching whitens the teeth when the active whitening agent, carbamide peroxide, contacts water and hydrogen peroxide is released.

Q. Is tooth bleaching safe?

A. Studies have proven bleaching to be safe and effective. Bleaching does not soften, demineralize, or weaken the teeth.

Q. What are digitized X-rays?

A. A digitized X-ray is a computerized technology that allows a small sensor placed inside the patient's mouth to take the X-ray and instantly display it on a computer screen for the dentist to review.

Find A Dentist To Help You Answer Why I Have A Toothache

There are many causes of toothache and pain in the area of the mouth. When experiencing pain and/or swelling, it is important to see your dentist to have the area evaluated. The pain and/or swelling is most often related to a disease process that originates within a particular tooth.

The pulpal tissue within the tooth can be irritated by bacteria, external traumatic events, repetitive or extensive dental care procedures, or even periodontal disease causing a toothache. When this irritation occurs, the pulpal tissue reacts by becoming inflamed.

Since the pulpal tissues and the tissues supporting the tooth have a rich supply of nerve fibers, the inflammatory process can cause pain as these nerve pathways are stimulated. Additionally, the pulp tissue is encased inside tooth structure and it cannot swell and expand in reaction to injury like tissues in other areas of the body.

When the injured pulp tissue attempts to swell within the confined root canal space, the pressure buildup can cause a significant toothache.

Pain originating from the dental pulp can be either "spontaneous" or "elicited." Spontaneous pain occurs without an identifiable stimulus, whereas elicited pain occurs only in specific situations. Elicited pain requires a specific stimulus such as drinking cold or hot fluids or biting on the tooth.

As is typical anywhere in the body, the initial stages of a disease process do not always cause symptoms. Millions of teeth have irreversible pulpal disease yet the patients have no clinical symptoms.

Most of these situations will become evident when the dentist obtains a thorough history, does a clinical examination, performs specific tooth tests, and takes a series of well-angulated radiographs. It is important to note that pulpal disease can refer pain to other areas within the head and neck.

If the results of the endodontic examination indicate that root canal disease is not the source of the patient's toothache, then the dentist must consider other possibilities. When attempting to identify the source or cause of facial pain and/or swelling, the dentist must consider that the symptoms could actually originate in a tooth (endodontic disease), the gum tissues (periodontal disease), the muscles (myofacial pain), the joints (TMJ), the sinuses (sinusitis), or even the surrounding vascular (blood vessels) or nerve tissues.

Facial pain requires an accurate diagnosis so that the proper treatment can be recommended. At times, various medical and dental specialists may need to be consulted before an accurate diagnosis can be determined.

By Clifford J. Ruddle, DDS, in collaboration with Philip M. Smith, DDS

+Jim Du Molin is a leading Internet search expert helping individuals and families connect with the right dentist in their area. Visit his author page.