The first thing you feel when a tooth breaks or chips may not be pain, but rather panic. Dental emergencies can be scary and also stressful! If you know how to navigate them, and you have the right team on your side, you’ll have nothing to worry about. Dr. Bobby J. Carmen and his team in Oklahoma are here to discuss handling dental emergencies in Norman, so you don’t have to panic when disaster strikes.
Broken or Chipped Teeth
Gather as many pieces of your tooth as you can, and bring them to our office as soon as possible. It’s important that we act quickly in order to have the best chances of preserving your tooth. Dr. Carmen will assess the damage and let you know what your options are for restoring your tooth.
A Dislodged Tooth
For a tooth that becomes dislodged, try your best to place it back into its socket, and get to our office immediately. Your tooth has the best chance of being saved if we can treat it within 1-2 hours of the injury. If it can’t be placed back into its socket try your best to keep it clean and transport it in a container filled with milk if possible. This helps to keep it moist and the cells alive.
Soft Tissue Injuries
For injuries to your gums, cheeks or lips, the first step is to stop the bleeding. This can be done with a cold compress and light pressure. Warm salt-water rinses are soothing, and should be used if available. Once you have the bleeding contained, contact our office for further instruction and to determine if you should be seen.
Abscess or Infection
When your tooth is abscessed or infected, it’s important to act quickly. Don’t wait to contact us, thinking that it will go away on its own. Dental infections will only become more severe, and can spread to other critical parts of the body.
When you have an infection, it may start off with slight sensitivity to hot and cold foods or beverages. As it progresses though, it will become a constant ache that can be severe enough to keep you awake at night.
Dr. Carmen may recommend root canal therapy to eliminate your infection and preserve your tooth. Teeth that can’t be saved with a root canal may have to be extracted, so it’s important to contact us as soon as possible.
We understand how important it is to act quickly during a dental emergency, so we make every effort to see you as soon as possible. Dr. Carmen is your premiere dentist in Norman, OK, and he is highly skilled and gentle, so you can rest assured you’re in good hands when it comes to handling your emergency.
Remember, the quicker you contact us, the faster we can get you diagnosed and feeling better. Don’t hesitate to call our office in any dental emergency situation.