Not every dental issue is an emergency, it is important that you understand what constitutes an emergency and what doesn’t, by knowing this you can avoid unnecessary trips to an emergency dentist in Arlington Heights. Accidents can happen at any time of the day or night; some injuries may be serious and require immediate attention from a dentist while others can wait until the following day when the dentist’s office is open.
Common mouth injuries:
Cracked, broken or dislodged teeth are quite common; these injuries can be caused while playing a contact sport, perhaps by a fall and even biting down on a hard piece of food. Whether emergency dental care is needed or not depends on the severity of the injury and the location of the tooth. If a tooth has been knocked out this classifies as an emergency, if on the other hand a tooth is simply cracked or chipped it can wait until the following day.
What to do while you are waiting:
If a tooth is knocked completely out avoid handling it any more than need be and when you do handle it, do not touch the root. If possible, put the tooth back into the socket, place a pad of moistened gauze or a tea bag over it and bite down; now head for the emergency dentist in Arlington Heights.
If you cannot get the tooth to stay in the socket, rinse it to rid it of any dirt or grime and place the tooth in a glass of milk until your dentist can see you. To control the swelling place a cold compress on your cheek.
Call your regular dentist first:
Always call your regular dentist in the event of an emergency. He or she may not always be available but you can rest assured there will be emergency instructions on the answering machine.
If you need the professional services of an emergency dentist in Arlington Heights you are invited to contact the office of James Kakos DDS.
