Dental Emergency Situations

Chipped Tooth

A chipped tooth is rarely a disaster. Dr. Shen can save your broken tooth. Before you see Dr. Shen, rinse your mouth with warm water and reduce any swelling by using cold compresses. Dr. Shen may fix the tooth using a white filling. If a filling is not likely to help, Dr. Shen may recommend a root canal anda crown.

Bitten Tongue or Lip

Injuries to the soft tissues of the mouth, including the lips, tongue or cheek can occur often. These injuries may be in the form of tears, puncture wounds or lacerations. First, clean the cut area, and reduce the swelling using a cold compress. If the cold compress doesn't stop the bleeding or the swelling, visit the emergency room of the nearest hospital immediately to get the wound sutured.

Cracked Tooth

A cracked tooth can manifest itself in the form of a toothache. The crack may be invisible to the eye, and may be invisible even in an X-ray. Dr. Shen use methods like bonding or root canal treatment depending on the size of the crack and the location. In extreme cases, Dr. Shen may extract your tooth.

Toothache

A sudden toothache can throw your life out of gear. First, call Dr. Shen to make appointment. Use dental floss to remove any food or other forms of debris, caught between the teeth. Don't use any pain killers directly on the gums, because they can burn the gums. In the meantime, take an over-the-counter painkiller to ease the pain.

Ibuprofen works great at decreasing the pain and helps to reduce swelling. An ice pack pressed against your face right at the source of the toothache will provide some relief. Do not use hot compresses on the affected area, but do rinch your mouth using warm water.

Knocked Out Tooth

In case of a knocked out tooth, or an avulsed tooth, the most important thing is not to panic. First of all, locate the tooth and immediately call Dr. Shen. While waiting to see Dr. Shen, rinse the area but don't scrub. Do not try to remove any of the tissue fragments that may be attached to the tooth. If you can, insert the tooth back into its socket.

In this is not possible, or if you fear that you might swallow your tooth, place it in a glass of cold milk, or wrap in a clean cloth.

Fractured Teeth

There are several ways Dr. Shen can repair fractured teeth. A minor fracture can be treated by Dr. Shen using a sand paper disc. She might also restore the tooth using a composite restoration. Dr. Shen may even choose to leave it alone if it's a minute fracture. Whatever the treatment, the tooth should be treated with great care over the next several days, so be careful not to eat hard or sticky foods.

In case of a moderate fracture in which there is no permanent damage to your pulp, Dr. Shen will make use of teeth restoration methods, including placing a permanent crown to bring your tooth to its pre-fractured condition. If there has been damage to your pulp, Dr. Shen may make use of additional treatment options. Besides pulp damage, a moderate fracture can also involve damage to the dentin or enamel.

In case of a several fracture, chances of recovering the tooth may be slim. Even so, Dr. Shen will make use of specialized dental procedures to restore severely damaged teeth. Consulting with Dr. Shen for immediate treatment is therefore imperative.

Lost fillings

If you've lost your dental filling, simply place a piece of sugarless chewing gum that has been softened, in the hole which contained the filling. Consult Dr. Shen as quickly as possible to replace the filling.