Dental Emergency
East Wenatchee, WA
 Dental pain, problems, and complications can be a miserable position to be in. We don’t want our patients to be in pain. Our team at Johnson Family Dental take our patient’s dental emergencies very seriously. If you are experiencing pain, discomfort or have concerns about a complication post-treatment, we want to hear from you immediately. Dr. Johnson and our team, do our best to accommodate our patients in times of emergency as quickly as possible. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, we ask that you seek medical treatment immediately, if not through us, then through your nearest medical provider. If you are experiencing tooth pain or discomfort but it does not seem like an emergency, there are steps that you can take before your appointment to alleviate pain, or steps that you can take that will assist in restoring your tooth.
In the event of an emergency, please do not hesitate to call 911 if you believe the circumstances call for it.
Toothache, Fractured Tooth, Avulsed Tooth
We can assist and restore your teeth following a tooth related emergency. If you are experiencing a toothache, or have had a traumatic experience that has resulted in a broken tooth or a knocked out tooth, contact Dr. Johnson. We want to see you. Before your appointment, the following tips can help.
Toothache
A toothache can be a painful and frustrating problem. An appointment with Dr. Johnson is important to ensure that a toothache is not as a result of decay or a cavity. Taking the following steps before your appointment can offer some relief and help alleviate discomfort. We recommend that you try:
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Brush and floss the area: The first step to help alleviate tooth pain would be to brush and floss thoroughly. This step will help remove any plaque or stuck food debris that may be causing the discomfort. |
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Apply a warm or cold compress.: Localized pain relief can be found when applying a warm or cold compress. An ice pack wrapped in a dishtowel, or a heating pad can help. |
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Rinse with a salt solution: You can dissolve a teaspoon of salt into a glass of warm water to use as a rinse. Simply gargle and spit. Salt rinses have been found to soothe and help heal mouth sores. Do not swallow the rinse. |
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Alleviate pain with medication: You can relieve pain through the proper taking on an over the counter pain relief medication such as Tylenol or ibuprofen. Taken as described on the box, this can provide a temporary relief of pain. |
Broken Tooth
Cracking or breaking a tooth can be a very painful problem, and unfortunately, it occurs suddenly and without notice. There are steps that you can take before coming into our office to help reduce pain and maybe even in the restoration, including:
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For pain relief: A fractured tooth can be very painful. Before your appointment, you can alleviate pain. An over the counter pain relief medication such as Tylenol or ibuprofen can help. Next, apply a warm or cold compress to the area. This should provide some temporary relief. |
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Collect pieces of the tooth is possible: Collecting pieces of the tooth may come in handy for restoration. Place the broken tooth pieces into a cup of milk or water and bring with you to your appointment. |
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Dental Cement: If you have broken your tooth but can not be seen by Dr. Johnson due to the hour, or because it is a weekend, you may find some temporary relief by applying dental cement to the tooth. Most often the pain you are feeling comes from exposed dentin, the cement will cover the dentin, relieving the pain. Dental cement can be purchased at a local drugstore. |
Avulsed or Knocked Out Tooth
An avulsed tooth is a tooth that has been knocked out. If specific criteria are met, an avulsed tooth can be saved.
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Locate the tooth: The first thing is to find the tooth. Attempt to put it back into place in your mouth, if you think that you can do so without swallowing it. Young children may not want to place it back in their mouth unless you are confident that they will not swallow it. |
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If not mouth, place the tooth in a cup: The next best step after keeping the tooth in your mouth, would be to place the tooth in a cup, preferably with milk, otherwise with water. |
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DO NOT clean the tooth: A slight rinse to remove dirt is ok, but otherwise, do not clean the tooth. Many patients have been embarrassed by the appearance of plaque on a tooth and then attempt to scrub it clean before they see us, do not do this! Though plaque may be present, so is necessary connective tissues. We rely on the presence of this connective tissue for the reattachment of the tooth. |
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Dr. Johnson will determine what part of the tooth needs to be cleaned. |
For more information on dental emergencies, contact our front office at (509) 886-8833. |
