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Emergency

IF YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE EXPERIENCING A DENTAL EMERGENCY, PLEASE CONTACT US AT 801-542-0998

One of our highly trained, and qualified, staff members is on-call at all times. We are committed to providing you with the best care possible and will work hard to get your dental pain resolved as quickly as possible.

We never want our patients to be in pain, so if you’re experiencing a dental emergency, Silver Summit Dental is here to help! We understand that emergencies don’t always happen during regular business hours and that’s why we offer emergency dental visits in the Herriman area.

A dental emergency can be potentially serious and should not be ignored. Ignoring a dental problem can increase the risk of permanent damage and the need for more extensive, and expensive, treatment later on. Below is a list of common dental emergencies and tips for what to do.

Toothaches

The first thing you should do is thoroughly rinse your mouth with warm water. Use dental floss to remove any lodged food. If your mouth is swollen, apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth or cheek. Never put Aspirin, or any other pain reliever, against the gums near the aching tooth because it may burn the gum tissue. See your dentist as soon as possible.

Chipped/Broken Teeth

Save any pieces! Rinse your mouth with warm water and rinse any broken pieces. If there’s bleeding, apply a piece of gauze to the area for about 10 minutes, or until the bleeding stops. Apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth, cheek, or lip near the chipped or broken tooth to keep any swelling down and relieve pain. See your dentist as soon as possible.

Knocked-Out Tooth

Retrieve the tooth! Hold it by the crown (the part of the tooth that is usually exposed in the mouth) and rinse off the tooth root with warm water. Do not scrub it or remove any attached tissue fragments. If possible, try to put the tooth back in place, but make sure it’s facing the right way and never force it into the socket. If it’s not possible to reinsert the tooth, put it in a small container of milk (or cup of water that contains a pinch of salt if milk is not available) or a product containing a cell growth medium, such as Save-A-Tooth. See your dentist as quickly as possible as cases of knocked-out teeth who are seen by the dentist and returned to their socket within one hour of being knocked out have the highest chances of being saved.

Partially Dislodged (Extruded) Teeth

See your dentist right away! To relieve pain, until you reach your dentist’s office, apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth or cheek in the affected area. Take an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as Tylenol or Advil, if needed.

Objects Caught Between Teeth

The first thing you should do is try using dental floss to very gently and carefully remove the object. If you can’t get the object out, see your dentist. Never use a pin, or any other sharp object, to poke at the stuck object. These instruments can cut your gums or scratch your tooth surface.

Lost Filling

See your dentist as soon as possible and until you can, stick a piece of sugarless gum into the cavity (sugar-filled gum will cause pain) or use an over-the-counter dental cement.

Lost Crown

Make an appointment to see your dentist as soon as possible and bring the crown with you. If you can’t get to the dentist right away and the tooth is causing you pain, use a cotton swab to apply a little clove oil to the sensitive area (clove oil can be purchased at your local drugstore or in the spice aisle of your grocery store). If possible, slip the crown back over the tooth. Before doing so, coat the inner surface with an over-the-counter dental cement, toothpaste, or denture adhesive to help hold the crown in place, but do not use super glue.

Broken Braces & Wires

If a wire breaks, or sticks out of a bracket or band, and is poking your cheek, tongue, or gum, try using the eraser end of a pencil to push the wire into a more comfortable position. If you can’t reposition the wire, cover the end with orthodontic wax, a small cotton ball, or a piece of gauze until you can see your dentist or orthodontist. Never cut the wire as you risk swallowing it or breathing it into your lungs.

Loose Brackets & Bands

Temporarily reattach loose braces with a small piece of orthodontic wax. Alternatively, place the wax over the braces to provide a cushion. See your dentist or orthodontist as soon as possible. If the problem is a loose band, save it and call your dentist or orthodontist for an appointment to have it recemented or replaced and to have missing spacers replaced.

Abscess

Abscesses are infections that occur around the root of a tooth or in the space between the teeth and gums. Abscesses are a serious condition that can damage tissue and surrounding teeth as well as spread to other parts of the body if left untreated. See your dentist right away if you discover a pimple-like swelling on your gum (and usually very painful). In the meantime, try rinsing your mouth with a mild salt water solution (½ teaspoon of table salt in eight ounces of water) several times a day as this will help to ease the pain and draw the pus toward the surface.

Soft-Tissue Injuries

Injuries to the soft tissues (which include the tongue, cheeks, gums, and lips) can result in bleeding. To control the bleeding, first rinse your mouth with a mild salt water solution (½ teaspoon of table salt in eight ounces of water). Then use a moistened piece of gauze, or tea bag, to apply pressure to the bleeding site and hold in place for 15-20 minutes. To control bleeding and relieve pain, hold a cold compress to the outside of the mouth or cheek in the affected area for 5-10 minutes. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, see your dentist right away or go to a hospital emergency room. Continue to apply pressure on the bleeding site until you can be seen and treated.

5734 W 13400 S
Herriman, UT, 84096

Silver Summit Dental

5734 W 13400 S

Tel: (801) 542-0998

MON - TUE : 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

WED : 8:00 am - 6:00 pm

THU : 7:00 am - 2:00 pm

FRI : 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

SAT : By appointments only.

SUN : Closed