Dental Emergency Care in Idaho Falls, ID

Common dental emergencies include:

• Sudden loss of a tooth. Maybe you knocked out your tooth falling off a ladder or ongoing dental issues caused your tooth to fall out. Perhaps in an accident several teeth have come out at once. The first thing to do is to put the tooth in place in its socket and keep it there as best you can. If that’s not possible, immediately put your tooth between your gums and cheek or in a sealed container of milk. This helps retain the tooth’s moisture, making it more likely we can restore your smile. Give us a call, and we will get you in at our earliest opening.

• A cracked or broken tooth. Sometimes just biting into food can cause a previously weakened tooth to crack or break. Accidents can cause these sorts of fissures, too. First, put as many pieces of the broken tooth as possible into a sealed container to bring to our office. Rinse your mouth with warm water, or with warm salt water if your lips or gums were cut, being sure not to swallow any of it. In the case of a broken tooth, apply a cold compress to the area. This reduces swelling. Then call our office and we will see you as soon as possible to get you fixed up.

• An abscess. If you’re experiencing intense gum or tooth pain, redness near a tooth, sensitivity to hot or cold or swelling in the face or jaw, you may have a dental abscess. In most cases, we can get you in fairly quickly, so call us. But if you have a fever, are having difficulty breathing or challenges swallowing and can’t reach us right away, go to an emergency room.

• Severe toothache. If a tooth or several teeth are aching to the point of interfering with your daily life or work, it’s time to see us. Your toothache may be caused by an irritation or infection in the gums, tooth decay, an abscess, an unseen fracture, a damaged filling, the effects of ongoing tooth grinding or clenching or a tooth eruption. With pain, you may experience unusual mouth odor, swelling, headache or fever. It’s okay to rinse with saltwater or hydrogen peroxide, being sure not to swallow any of it. You might also apply a cold compress to the area. You can take over-the-counter pain medications as prescribed on the bottle. It’s also time to be seen, so give us a call.