Clinical content reviewed by Dr. Ash Kler, DDS ·
Dental emergencies never book ahead. They happen at hockey practice, over a popcorn kernel, at 9 pm on a Friday. What you do in the first hour can determine whether a tooth is saved or lost, so save this guide.
Call your dentist before anything else, and call early. At Blue Bird Dental, patients who phone (250) 372-2326 first thing in the morning are far easier to fit in the same day than those who wait until afternoon hoping the pain passes. It rarely does.
An adult tooth knocked completely out can often be saved if it is re-implanted within about an hour. Time is the whole game.
Baby teeth are the exception: never re-implant a child's baby tooth; it can damage the adult tooth developing underneath. Still call us promptly.
Rinse with warm salt water and floss gently around the tooth; a trapped seed or popcorn hull is a surprisingly common culprit. Take an over-the-counter pain reliever as directed on the label. Do not place aspirin on the gum, and do not apply heat to the outside of your face, which can worsen an infection's swelling. A toothache that wakes you at night or throbs with your heartbeat usually means the nerve is involved; that needs treatment, not toughness.
Collect any fragments, rinse with warm water, and use a cold compress on the cheek. Even if it does not hurt, get it examined: cracks give bacteria a highway to the nerve, and a small repair now beats a root canal later. With our same-day CEREC technology, many broken teeth can be fully restored with a permanent crown in a single visit.
This is the category you never wait on. Facial swelling with fever, difficulty swallowing, or difficulty breathing can signal an infection spreading into the deeper spaces of the head and neck. Go to Royal Inland Hospital's emergency department first, then follow up with us for the dental cause.
Keep the crown, avoid chewing on that side, and cover sharp edges with drugstore dental wax. This is urgent, not an emergency, but do not sit on it for weeks; teeth shift and decay fast without their armour.
Most "sudden" emergencies are months in the making: the twinge ignored, the check-up skipped. Regular exams catch small problems at small prices. If it has been a while, we will get you caught up without a lecture.
In pain now? Call Blue Bird Dental: (250) 372-2326.
Have questions about your own smile? Call (250) 372-2326 or request an appointment.