Without a professional oral exam, it is difficult to know how severe a chip, break, or crack in your tooth really is. When left untreated, broken or cracked teeth can easily become infected and cause additional, preventable complications.

The best thing to do if you crack, chip, or break a tooth is to give us a call and visit our office as soon as possible. We will examine your injured tooth to determine the extent of the damage, and offer guidance and recommendations about how to restore and protect your smile, and relieve your dental pain.

If you experience a toothache that lasts for 2 or more days, it could be a sign of tooth infection, which is a serious dental emergency. If your tooth is infected, you may require root canal therapy to save your tooth.

Don’t hesitate to give us a call if you’re having a severe toothache. To manage your pain before visiting our office, you can apply a cold compress to your cheek, take over-the-counter pain medication, or apply a topical product, like Orajel, to numb the tooth and relieve the pain.

To recover your tooth, make sure to pick it up by the top (the crown) instead of by the bottom (the root), in order to minimize the risk of causing any additional damage. Next, rinse it with warm water to clean off any debris, being careful not to rub it with anything abrasive. Finally, try to place the tooth back in its socket if it will go back in with minimal effort. Don’t try to force it into place, otherwise you may cause further damage. If you can’t put it back in the socket, store it in a container of cold milk to keep it hydrated on your way to the dentist.

If this is a serious emergency, like a knocked-out tooth, try not to spend too much time on pain management. To save your tooth and avoid needing prosthetics, the tooth must be replaced and splinted within 1-2 hours. Call us right away to get immediate guidance about how to handle your dental emergency, and to ensure we are prepared for your visit.