dental emergencies:
Injuries to the mouth may include teeth that are knocked out
(avulsed), forced out of
position (extruded) or broken (fractured). Sometimes lips, gums or cheeks have cuts. Oral injuries are often painful,
and should be treated by your dentist as soon as possible.
All of our patients know that part of
my core philosophy of care is to be available to them at all times;
and they know how to get a hold of me when a dental emergency arises.
However, for those who are not currently patients seeking care at our
office and/or those not in the Milwaukee area, I present to you some
information that may be helpful to you during a dental emergency.
Please note that these are just
guidelines for you to use. There is no substitute for seeing
your dentist or physician.
avulsed (dislodged) teeth:
When a tooth is knocked out you should:
- Immediately call your dentist for an emergency appointment.
- Attempt to find the tooth.
- Gently rinse, but do not scrub the tooth to remove dirt or debris.
- Place the clean tooth in your mouth between the cheek and gum.
- Do not attempt to replace the tooth into the socket. This could cause further damage.
- Get to the dentist as soon as possible. If it is within a half hour of the injury, it
may be possible to re-implant the tooth.
- If it is not possible to store the tooth in the mouth of the injured person, (e.g. young
child) wrap the tooth in a clean cloth or gauze and immerse in milk.
extruded teeth:
If the tooth is pushed out of place (inward or outward), it should be repositioned to
its normal alignment with very light finger pressure. Do not force the tooth into the socket. Hold the tooth in
place with a moist tissue or gauze. Again, it is vital that the injured individual be seen by a dentist within
30 minutes.
How a fractured tooth is treated will depend on how badly it is broken. Regardless of
the damage, treatment should always be determined by a dentist.
Minor Fracture -- Minor fractures can be smoothed by your dentist with a sandpaper
disc or simply left alone. Another option is to restore the tooth with a composite
restoration (bonding). In either case,
you should treat the tooth with care for several days.
Moderate Fracture -- Moderate fractures include damage to the enamel, dentin, and/or
pulp. If the pulp is not permanently damaged, the tooth may be restored with a full permanent crown. If pulpal
damage does occur further dental treatment will be required.
Severe Fracture -- Severe fractures often mean a traumatized tooth with a slim
chance of recovery. This is often a situation where an implant
is indicated. However, it is still extremely important to see
your dentist and/or prosthodontist, since he/she may need to intervene
as soon as possible to preserve the normal gum contours, even if the
tooth is extracted.
injuries to the soft tissues
of the mouth:
Injuries to the inside of the mouth include tears, puncture wounds and lacerations to
the cheek, lips or tongue. The wound should be cleaned right away and the injured person taken to the emergency
room for the necessary suturing and wound repair.
Bleeding from a tongue laceration can be reduced by pulling the tongue forward and using
gauze to place pressure on the wound area.
emergency contact:
If you need to contact Dr. Hart, you can do so
by the following methods:
- Business Hours:
414-962-1800
- Business Hours:
877-962-1800 toll free
- After Hours: Voicemail Pager:
414-791-2287 (if no response, please call the office machine to get
additional information about how to contact me.)
-
Send an emergency message to my pager.
(please do this only if you are
available to come to Shorewood, Wisconsin on the day that you page
me)
