Broken, cracked or fractured teeth do not always occur when it’s convenient to see your dentist. The damage can happen after office hours, over the weekend, on a holiday or when your regular dentist is on vacation. It can also happen at a time when your dentist’s calendar just can’t squeeze you in. If you live in the Sacramento, CA area, any injured teeth need to be evaluated and treated as soon as possible.
Even if you are not in pain, if you wait to be treated, you increase the risk of infection or further damage. You can even end up losing your teeth. A simple chip can quickly go from a minor inconvenience to a serious emergency if your tooth cracks or shatters while you’re waiting. Seeing an Emergency Dentist in the Sacramento area as soon as you can will help to alleviate the pain and correct the problem before things grow worse.
What Causes a Broken or Cracked Tooth?
Many things can chip, crack or cause your tooth to break. While chewing on ice can be easily sidestepped, physical accidents where you hit your mouth, contact sports or brittleness from root canal therapy are not as easy to avoid. Other causes of a broken or cracked tooth include clenching or grinding your teeth while you sleep, uneven chewing pressure, eating on only one side of your mouth or exposing your teeth to extreme temperatures such as drinking an icy beverage while eating hot food.
What to Do Before Your Emergency Dentist Appointment
Although setting up an appointment with an Emergency Dentist in our Roseville office is crucial, there are a few things you can do to help prevent further damage. If your tooth is bleeding, try applying gentle pressure to the gums surrounding the tooth. Don’t touch the tooth itself as that could make the situation worse. You can also rinse out your mouth with water and apply an ice pack if there’s swelling.
If you have the broken or chipped pieces, make sure you bring them with you to your appointment. Sometimes, the tooth is repairable. Bonding the tooth back together is easier and less costly than replacing the entire tooth. Chipped or broken teeth will also leave jagged edges. Try to keep your tongue away from the tooth. You don’t know how fragile the remains are, and the sharp edges could cut or irritate your tongue or cheeks.
If you live in Sacramento and need to eat before you leave for your Emergency Dentist appointment, it’s a good idea to restrict yourself to soft foods such as pudding or cottage cheese and lightly chew on the other side of your mouth. You also don’t want to drink liquids that are extremely hot or cold. To avoid excessive bleeding before being seen, also avoid all over-the-counter medications such as aspirin. They will interfere with your blood’s ability to coagulate and can make the evaluation and treatment more difficult.
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