Same Day Emergency Care

If you can find the tooth, hold it by the top (do not touch the root), wash it in warm water, and put it back in the socket. Alternatively, you can place it in milk or hold it between your gums and teeth on your way to treatment. Ibuprofen or aspirin should be adequate to manage pain until then. If we or an ER see you immediately, there is a chance for restoring the tooth, but otherwise it will probably have to be replaced with a dental implant or an artificial tooth attached to the neighboring teeth by a bridge.

With a bridge or crown that has come off, put some denture adhesive inside the crown and put it back on the tooth, biting gently down, then eat soft foods until you come into the office. You can also reattach a bridge and chew carefully until you can have it examined. Both will likely need to be replaced.

Swish some saltwater in your mouth to clean the area, put some clove oil where the filling was (a traditional and effective way to minimize the pain of a toothache), and bring in the filling if it is gold or ceramic. Your dentist will discuss whether to put the old filling back on or replace it.

If you are in pain from a chipped or fractured tooth, whether from a car accident or just biting into candy that was too hard, take aspirin or ibuprofen and put a cold compress on and off the outside of the mouth in that area every 15 minutes to prevent swelling. A chip can be repaired by placing a veneer on the front. A cracked tooth will usually require a dental crown to hold it together.