Need urgent dental care? Schedule an appointment with Dr. Suk Jun Yun at the NorthPointe Family Dental & Implant Center. The number for our office is northpointefamilydental@gmail.com.
What is Considered a Dental Emergency?
Call our office if you have sharp and/or consistent oral pain, tissue bleeding that won’t stop, abscesses, or broken teeth.
Aren’t sure if you have a dental emergency? Call our office anyways for further instruction. Getting emergency dental care in time can help you save a tooth!
Depending on the severity of your emergency, it may be a few days before you see Dr. Yun. Here’s what you can do in the meantime to protect your oral health while minimizing pain and discomfort.
Toothache
Many are caused by food caught between teeth. Before calling our emergency dentist, gently floss to remove any trapped food particles that could be causing pain and rinse with warm water.
If the toothache persists, call our office as soon as possible and take over-the-counter pain relievers until your appointment. DO NOT put crushed aspirin on your tooth as this burns gums and destroys tooth enamel.
Knocked-Out Tooth
Your best chance to is within 30 minutes of the injury. Our emergency dentist can help with these types of emergencies, giving you the best chance of saving your tooth.
- Call our emergency dentist ASAP.
- Pick up the tooth by the crown (chewing surface), not the root. Touching the root can damage cells needed for reattachment.
- Gently rinse the tooth.
- If possible, gently place the tooth back in its socket. Otherwise, store the tooth between your gum and cheek or wrap the tooth in clean gauze and immerse in whole milk.
Loose Tooth
- Call our emergency dentist ASAP.
- Apply a cold compress to your cheek to temporarily relieve pain.
- Take over-the-counter pain reliever if necessary.
Cracked, Chipped, or Broken Teeth
- Call our emergency dentist ASAP.
- Rinse mouth with warm water.
- Apply a cold compress to your cheek to temporarily relieve pain.
- DO NOT put crushed aspirin on the tooth. Doing so will burn the gums and destroy tooth enamel.
How to Prevent Dental Emergencies
The best way to avoid needing emergency dental care is to know what increases your risk of illness and injury. For example, playing a contact sport increases your risk of having a tooth knocked out by a blow to the face. Fortunately, there are many things you can do to avoid a call to our emergency dentist.
See our suggestions below to learn how to avoid needing emergency dental care.
See Our Dentist Every 6 Months
You should see our dentist every 6 months for a teeth cleaning and oral exam. That way, we’ll be able to detect tooth decay, gum disease, and other issues that compromise oral health. The earlier we’re able to detect problems with your oral health, the less likely you’ll need urgent dental care.
Maintain Good Oral Hygiene
People get into trouble when they skip brushing or flossing their teeth. One of the best ways to avoid a dental emergency is to maintain a good oral hygiene routine. You’ll need to brush your teeth twice a day and floss once daily.
Avoid Chewing Hard Foods
Who doesn’t like buttery popcorn? Unfortunately, the unpopped kernels at the bottom of the bag can crack your teeth. We also recommend NOT chewing ice, hard candies, and other foods that are difficult to chew.
Request an Emergency Appointment
Dr. Suk Jun Yun and his team are proud to provide emergency dental services to patients in need. To request your appointment with our emergency dentist in Grand Rapids, MI, call the NorthPointe Family Dental & Implant Center at northpointefamilydental@gmail.com.
This blog post has been updated.