Emergency Dentist — Prince Albert, SK

Toothaches

Is My Toothache a Dental Emergency? There are a few cases where the answer is “yes!” If you’re struggling with pain when biting down, the discomfort has lasted more than 24 hours, the tooth in question is discolored, or there is a bump on your gums near the tooth, then call our Prince Albert emergency dentist right away. Over the phone, we can learn more about your situation and determine if a same-day appointment is necessary.

How You Should Handle a Toothache Fortunately, there are a few measures you can take to alleviate your discomfort until we have the opportunity to treat your tooth. First, do your best not to chew on that side of your mouth and avoid acidic, spicy, and crunchy foods. Second, use a cold compress or take an over-the-counter pain reliever to numb the pain. You can also use a piece of floss to gently dislodge any debris that may be the source of the problem.

How We Treat Toothaches Step number one is conducting an oral exam and taking X-rays. Once we’ve discovered the root of the problem, we can share your treatment options. For some patients, a tooth-colored filling is all that’s needed to restore a decayed tooth. For others, gum disease therapy, root canal therapy, a dental crown, or a mixture of these treatments is necessary to restore their pain-free smile.

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Chipped Tooth

Is a Chipped Tooth a Dental Emergency? If the chip is minor and isn’t causing you any discomfort, then you don’t need to schedule a same-day appointment with our team. You should, however, give us a call so we can examine the tooth within a day or two. Since chipped teeth are often vulnerable to further damage, we want to make sure you don’t end up in an emergency situation in the coming days or weeks.

How You Should Handle a Chipped Tooth First, gently rinse your mouth with clean, lukewarm water to avoid accidentally swallowing shards of your tooth. From there, use a piece of dental wax or sugarless gum to cover the tooth. This will help prevent sensitivity and avoid cuts to your lips, tongue, and the soft tissue in your mouth.

How We Treat Chipped Teeth If the chip is more significant and it’s on one of the teeth that are visible when you smile, veneers are likely the best option. With a thin shell of a high-quality dental material like porcelain, we can restore the missing structure – sometimes in just two appointments too!

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Cracked Tooth

Is a Cracked Tooth a Dental Emergency? Cracked teeth in Prince Albert are a dental emergency, even if the crack is small. Since the tooth is vulnerable to infection and further damage, it’s of the utmost importance that you don’t wait to schedule an appointment with our team.

How You Should Handle a Cracked Tooth Until your appointment, you can help avoid sensitivity by placing a piece of dental wax or sugarless gum over the tooth. If the discomfort persists, you can try taking an over-the-counter pain reliever or placing a cold compress against the outside of your cheek. Lastly, stick to soft foods (like oatmeal and yogurt) so you don’t put pressure on that tooth until it’s been treated.

How We Treat Cracked Teeth Typically, teeth that have sustained a crack are covered with a dental crown. This restorative treatment utilizes high-quality materials that are as lifelike as they are durable, ensuring the look and function of your smile are restored. In extreme cases where the damage is so severe that the tooth is no longer salvageable, then we may recommend extracting it and replacing it with a dental bridge or dental implant.

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Very Sensitive Teeth

Are very sensitive teeth a dental emergency? While a degree of sensitivity is normal, heightened tooth sensitivity may be a cause for concern. Tooth sensitivity can arise from various underlying issues. It could indicate the onset of deeper decay, receding gums exposing vulnerable surfaces, or enamel erosion allowing bacteria to reach the sensitive dentin layer.

How you should handle sensitive teeth: Monitor your sensitivity and take note of any triggers. If the sensitivity worsens or becomes more severe, it's advisable to contact us for an immediate appointment. Additionally, if you find it challenging to function due to your highly sensitive teeth, seeking an emergency visit is recommended.

How we treat tooth sensitivity: The treatment approach depends on the cause of your tooth sensitivity. In cases of decay, we can address it and restore the tooth using dental crowns or fillings. In some instances, a root canal may be necessary. For other situations, we may apply composite resin to provide added protection against extreme temperatures and other triggers.

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Knocked-Out Tooth

Is a knocked-out tooth a dental emergency? Absolutely! Once your adult teeth come in, they are intended to last a lifetime and should not come out. Time is of the essence in this situation. A knocked-out tooth can only be saved for a limited time, so it's crucial to act promptly and contact us immediately.

How you should handle a knocked-out tooth: When handling the tooth, only touch the crown – the part that is typically visible above the gums. Avoid touching the root. Gently rinse the tooth and your mouth with clean water, and attempt to reposition the tooth in its socket. If this is not possible, place the tooth in a container of milk to keep it moist until you reach our office.

How we treat knocked-out teeth: If the tooth is still viable (meaning it is still alive and not severely damaged), reimplantation may be possible. With time, it can reintegrate back into its original position. However, if saving the tooth isn't feasible, it's essential to explore replacement options like bridges and dental implants. This helps prevent the complications associated with untreated tooth loss.

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Lost Filling or Crown

Is a lost filling or crown a dental emergency? Yes, mainly because your tooth is left exposed and vulnerable without a restoration. Even if you're not experiencing immediate pain, this issue requires immediate attention to protect the underlying, more delicate tooth structure.

How you should handle a lost filling or crown: If possible, locate the lost filling or crown and rinse it with clean water. Then, apply a small amount of toothpaste to the restoration and carefully reposition it onto the tooth. This should provide temporary stability until you can visit our office. If the filling or crown is severely damaged or cannot be found, you can place a piece of sugar-free gum over the tooth to shield it from bacteria.

How we treat lost fillings or crowns: Depending on the condition and age of your restoration, we may be able to reattach it to the tooth. However, in most cases, it will be necessary to replace the filling or crown.

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Broken Denture

Is My Broken Denture a Dental Emergency? Whether there is a small, hairline crack in your dentures or they have shattered into multiple pieces, you should contact our Prince Albert dental office. The sooner you do, the sooner we can schedule an appointment to have them repaired or, if necessary, have them replaced.

How You Should Handle a Broken Denture In most cases, we recommend putting the denture in its case instead of wearing it. That way, it doesn’t break further. If you get hungry between now and your appointment, then stick to really soft foods, like plain yogurt, and continue to implement a solid oral hygiene regimen.

How We Treat Broken Dentures Hopefully, we’ll be able to fix your dentures at our office. If that’s not possible, then we will begin the process of having a new traditional or implant denture made.

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Loose Permanent Tooth

Is a Loose Permanent Tooth a Dental Emergency? Yes, absolutely! The longer you wait to schedule an appointment, the higher the chances are of the tooth completely falling out. So, make sure that you contact us as soon as you notice that something is wrong.

How You Should Handle Loose Permanent Teeth Handling this dental injury properly boils down to what not to do. Don’t chew on that side of your mouth (especially crunchy, hard, and sticky foods), don’t wiggle the tooth with your finger, and don’t smoke, bite your nails, or do anything else that could make the situation worse.

How We Treat Loose Permanent Teeth Sometimes, our only option is to remove the tooth and replace it with a dental implant. Other times, we can give the tooth the support it needs to heal in place, saving it in the process.

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Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue

Is an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue a Dental Emergency? Not usually. That said, if the cut is bleeding uncontrollably, you should head to the ER for medical attention or call 911.

How You Should Handle an Injury to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue After you’ve located the cut, rinse it thoroughly with cool water and use a clean, damp washcloth to apply pressure. This should stop the bleeding and, at that point, you can alleviate swelling in the area with a cold compress.

How We Treat Injuries to the Gums, Lips, or Tongue In most cases, soft tissue injuries are severe enough that they warrant a visit to the ER or are minor enough that they can be handled at home.

Jaw Pain

Is Jaw Pain a Dental Emergency? Jaw pain is often the result of an untreated oral health problem, like an impacted wisdom tooth. For that reason, we recommend getting in touch with us if your discomfort persists for more than a few hours or if it has progressed to the point where it’s negatively impacting your day-to-day life.

How You Should Handle Jaw Pain To alleviate your discomfort in the short-term, use a cold compress for 10 minutes at a time, take OTC pain medication as directed, and avoid foods that require a lot of chewing, like hard pretzels and raw nuts.

How We Treat Jaw Pain In order to give you an answer, we need to determine what’s causing your jaw pain! Oftentimes, it’s chronic teeth grinding, TMJ dysfunction, or an impacted wisdom tooth.

Something Stuck Between the Teeth

Getting something stuck between your teeth isn’t just uncomfortable; it also can negatively impact your oral health! So, dissolve some salt in warm water, and use the mixture to rinse your mouth. Then, use floss to gently remove the debris – it should come right out!