Toothache

1. Call our office.  Explain your symptoms and ask to be seen as soon as possible.

2. Ease the pain.  Take an over-the-counter pain medicine that works for you, but do NOT put the pills on your sore tooth.  Hold an ice pack against your face at the spot of the sore tooth.

3. Do not put a heating pad, a hot water bottle, or any other source of heat on your jaw.  Heat will make things worse instead of better.

Knocked-out tooth

If the knocked-out tooth is an adult tooth, we may be able to put it back.  You must act quickly.

1. If the tooth looks clean, put it back in its place (its socket).  If this is not possible, or if there's a chance that the tooth might be swallowed, put it in a container of cold milk.

2. Go to our office, or to the nearest dentist, right away.

3. If you get help within 10 minutes, there is a fair chance that the tooth will take root again.            

Broken tooth

1. Broken teeth can almost always be saved.

2. Call our office and explain what happened.  We will see you right away.

3. If it's a small break, we may use a white filling to fix the tooth.

4. If the break is serious, a root canal may be needed.  Your tooth may also need a crown (also called a cap).