Dental Emergency in Oak Ridge: What to Do First

Dental emergencies never pick a good time. A tooth breaks on a piece of popcorn, a kid takes a ball to the mouth, or a toothache that was tolerable at noon is unbearable at 10 PM. When it happens, you're stressed and you want to know what to do right now. Here's the plan for Oak Ridge, plus some general first-aid guidance while you get help.

Call the office first

Premier Dental Associates says it plainly on its contact page: for dental emergencies, call the office at (865) 483-1323. If the office is closed when you call, instructions are provided on how to reach Dr. Lee by telephone. Listen to the recording all the way through, since it explains how to reach him.

If you have a serious or life-threatening injury, call 911. That includes trouble breathing, heavy bleeding that won't stop, or a hard blow to the head. Teeth can wait a few minutes. Those things can't.

The office is open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM, and it's at 201 Bus Terminal Rd in Oak Ridge. On Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, the office is closed, so that after-hours message is what you'll reach.

A knocked-out tooth

This is the one where minutes count. The following is general guidance that dentists commonly give. Your dentist's advice on the phone comes first, so call as you go.

• Pick the tooth up by the crown, the part you chew with, and avoid touching the root.
• If it's dirty, rinse it gently with water for a few seconds. Don't scrub it and don't use soap.
• If you can, put it back in the socket and hold it there gently. Facing the right way matters, so don't force it.
• If it won't go back in, keep it moist. Milk is a common choice, or a container with a little of your own saliva.
• Get to a dentist as fast as you can, and tell them how long it's been out.

A baby tooth is different. Dentists generally advise against putting a knocked-out baby tooth back in, because it can harm the adult tooth underneath. Call the office and describe what happened.

A broken or chipped tooth

If a tooth cracks or a piece breaks off, save any fragments you can find and bring them along. Rinse your mouth gently with warm water. If the edge is sharp and cutting your cheek or tongue, a piece of sugar-free gum or dental wax over the spot can help until you're seen.

A small chip with no pain can feel like it's not urgent, and sometimes it isn't. But a chip can hide a crack, and cracks can get worse. If it hurts, if it's sensitive to hot or cold, or if a big piece is gone, call the same day. For a cold-sensitive break, a cold compress on the outside of your cheek can ease things while you wait.

Whatever you do, avoid chewing on that side. Extra force on a cracked tooth is how a small problem turns into a big one.

Severe pain and swelling

A bad toothache usually means something is going on inside the tooth or in the gum around it. A dentist has to look to know what. Nobody can diagnose it from home, and this post isn't trying to. What you can do meanwhile is rinse gently with warm salt water, use a cold compress on the outside of your cheek, and take pain relief only as the label or your dentist directs.

Don't put aspirin directly on the gum. It's an old home remedy that can burn the tissue.

Swelling is where you should pay extra attention. Swelling in your face or jaw can be a sign of infection, and infections can spread. If the swelling is getting bigger, if you have a fever, or if it's hard to swallow or breathe, don't wait for the office to open. Call 911 or go to an emergency room. If it's swelling with pain and you can still swallow and breathe normally, call the office right away.

One patient wrote in a Google review about walking in as a brand-new patient with severe tooth pain and having a root canal scheduled for the very next day. Every case is different, but the point is the same: if you're hurting, call. Don't try to tough it out.

Things to avoid

• Don't scrub or scrape a knocked-out tooth to clean it.
• Don't chew on a cracked or painful tooth.
• Don't put aspirin or any painkiller directly on your gum.
• Don't ignore facial swelling, fever, or trouble swallowing.
• Don't wait for pain to "go away on its own" if it has lasted more than a day.

Get ready before it happens

The easiest emergency is one you've already planned for. Save (865) 483-1323 in your phone now, under a name you'll recognize when you're panicking. If you're not yet a patient of Premier Dental Associates, call during office hours and ask about becoming one, so you're not a stranger when something goes wrong.

And if a tooth hurts right now, don't read another article. Call the office.