You never saw it coming … and that’s why you need emergency dental care!

It only takes a moment for a day at the park to become something more serious and certainly unexpected. If and when this happens to you or someone you love, will you know what to do?

To help, we’ll be discussing a few different emergency scenarios in the post below.

But one thing you can do in any dental emergency is call 248-697-2487 to reach our dentist office if you are in or near Novi, MI.

Even if you are calling outside of our regular hours, you should still contact Dr. James C. Ross, Family, Cosmetic & Laser Dentistry as soon as you can. If we are closed, you will be directed to Dr. Ross’s personal phone.

He understands that when people are having an emergency, they want help as soon as possible. In some cases, this means talking you through what to do until you can see a dentist. In other cases, it means meeting you at the office as quickly as we can.

With that in mind, let’s look at some of the ways your day at the park could turn into a dental emergency.

Running Into Someone

You are at the park for a leisurely stroll. You wanted to get outside to enjoy the nice weather, and a walk in the park seemed like a nice, relaxing way to do this. As you approach a corner, the sound of a bird singing catches your attention. That’s fine … until a runner comes flying around the corner.

Before either of your can react, the runner crashes into you, sending both of you tumbling to the ground. The runner was a little shorter than you, so his head collided with your mouth. As you collect yourself, you notice he’s looking at you concerned.

The runner apologizes and then glances at the ground and back at your mouth. “Is that your tooth?” he asks while pointing at something beside you.

You look in the direction he is pointing, and sure enough, there is a tooth on the ground. You place your hand over your mouth, and you are definitely missing one of them.

In this situation, you will want to pick up the tooth by the crown (NOT the roots). You will need to rinse the tooth and rinse out your mouth. If you are bleeding, try to find some gauze to apply pressure until the bleeding stops. Replace the gauze as needed.

When the tooth has been rinsed and you are no longer bleeding, you can try to place the tooth back in its socket. Leave it there if it will stay until you are able to see Dr. Ross. If it won’t stay, you will want to place the tooth in a container of milk to bring with you to the dentist’s office.

If needed, take a pain reliever or apply an ice or cold pack to reduce swelling.

Just One More Bite

Your family is gathering for your annual holiday party/family reunion at the park. You can always count on someone to bring olives to the party. You like to add a few to a salad.

As you sit down to nibble, you bite into one of the olives only to learn the hard way that this one still has a pit inside. Instead of the pleasure of a delicious bite, you feel pain shoot through your mouth.

One of your cousins takes a look and says it looks like you have a crack in your tooth. Knowing this, you want to avoid eating anything because biting or chewing could make the crack worse. Plus, if the crack is deep enough, your may be more sensitive to hot foods or cold drinks.

This is a situation when you will want to see our dentist as soon as you can. In the meantime, you may want to apply ice or a cold pack to reduce swelling or take a pain reliever to ease your pain until you can see the dentist.

How we treat this problem will depend on the depth of the crack and what parts of your tooth have been exposed or infected.

We’re Here To Help With Your Dental Emergency

Lost teeth and cracked teeth are just two of many possible reasons you may need emergency dental care. If any of them affect you or someone you love, please call 248-697-2487 as soon as you are able.

Dr. Ross wants you to get the help you need to end your pain. Then, together, you can decide on the right long-term fix for your smile.