When you’re faced with a medical emergency, there is always an initial sense of panic, even if it only lasts a fraction of a second. Most often, it can be calmed simply by knowing who to call or where to go.

You can call 911 or head to the closest emergency room. Just knowing help is on the way or close by helps you stay somewhat calm. But a dental emergency can be a bit more challenging.

You can’t find an emergency room in every hospital dedicated to dental injuries. That means you’re having to spend precious time and energy searching for help when you unexpectedly need it.

Our team at Shook Dental Care wants you to know that you don’t have to worry about that. Not when you’re one of our San Pedro patients. You can call us during or outside of business hours and know that you’ll be well cared for at the soonest possible time.

We hope today’s blog about how to stay calm during a dental emergency will give you some comfort should it ever happen to you.

Tips For Staying Calm In A Dental Emergency

Even though every emergency will differ, there is one constant that threads each experience. That’s knowing what to do and who to count on when accidents happen. Here are some general tips on how you can prepare for, and stay calm during, a dental emergency.

Store Our Phone Number In Your Contacts

As we said before, you can’t find emergency rooms in every hospital that are specifically designed to address dental injuries, so when you’re faced with one, it can be confusing and time consuming to have to sift through a phone book looking for emergency dental care.

That’s why we recommend storing our San Pedro dental office phone number in your list of contacts. You can reach us at 310-982-6333, and someone will guide you through the necessary steps unique to your particular emergency.

Get Bleeding Under Control

There may be times in a dental emergency where injuries to the soft tissues in or around your mouth are bleeding. In those cases, the first thing you’ll want to do is get the bleeding under control. By applying direct pressure to the wound with a clean cloth or sterile gauze, you can control the bleeding and move on to contacting our dental office for further assistance.

Prepare Your Own Dental Emergency Kit

You have a first aid kit in your home, and maybe even in your car. So it makes sense to have one specifically for dental emergencies, too. Label a small box “Dental Emergency Kit” and keep it somewhere in your home or car that you can easily get to it when you need it.

You can include such items as:

  • A small, sealable baggie or container with a lid
  • Latex or plastic gloves
  • OTC, non-aspirin pain relievers
  • A clean, dry washcloth or sterile gauze pads

Dental Emergency Scenarios & Tips

Now that you have some general instructions for any type of dental emergency, now let’s look at some specific emergency scenarios and what to do in each case.

For Damaged Teeth
When you’re tooth is chipped or cracked, you can rely on your emergency kit for things like pain relief and even a cold compress by running your washcloth under cold water. Then give Shook Dental Care a call for further instructions. Whether you’re in pain at that moment or not, it’s important to repair chips and cracks before they cause further damage.

For Loose Or Knocked Out Teeth
Be careful to avoid putting any amount of pressure on a loose tooth. Call our San Pedro office right away about necessary next steps. In the case of a loose tooth, there’s a good chance we can help save it before it falls out.
A knocked out tooth is slightly different. We can do all we can to save the tooth if you follow these steps as quickly as you can:

  • Find the tooth if you can, and gently rinse it off to clear away any debris.
  • Put the tooth in a sealed container of milk or water. (If you don’t have either, place the tooth inside of your cheek until you arrive to our office.)
  • Call our office right away.

Call Shook Dental Care When You Need Help Fast!

When you need help during a dental emergency, call Shook Dental Care at 310-982-6333 or fill out our online form to schedule an appointment for non-emergencies.