Your Step-by-Step Guide to Dental Emergencies During the Holidays

Dental emergencies are scary any time, but they’re especially scary during the holiday season. Who should you call? What if the dental office is closed? Do you need to go to the ER? This guide will help you figure out what to do and where to go!

Step 1: Assess the Injury.

Are you bleeding profusely, was there a severe injury to the face or jaw, are you in extreme pain, or were you knocked unconscious by the same blow that knocked out your tooth?  If so, stop reading now and either go to the ER or, if you don’t have someone to drive you, call 911.  This is more than just a dental emergency and you need to be seen ASAP.

If the injury is limited to your teeth and gums, keep reading.

Step 2: Call your dentist and leave a message. 

We have a dedicated emergency line for you to leave to message to our assistant on-call. If you are a patient of record with an emergency, we will return your calls, even on weekends and the holidays. When you call, leave a message with your name, birthdate, phone number, and explanation of what happened. We will return your call within 90 minutes.

Step 3: If a tooth has fallen out, try to keep it safe.

The ADA’s handy guide on dental emergencies emphasizes the importance of keeping your tooth moist so that the living cells don’t die.  You can either:

• Gently place it back in its socket
• Hold it in your cheek
• Put it in a glass of milk or
• Use a tooth-preserver from the drug store

Whatever you do, DO NOT touch the roots. These are the most important and most delicate parts of the tooth.

Step 4: For all other problems, rinse with warm water

For a cracked, chipped, or aching tooth, or another mouth injury, rinse with warm water. Don’t apply salves or lotions inside your mouth.  

Step 5: If you can’t reach your normal dentist, it’s OK to call someone else

If your normal dentist doesn’t call you back, it’s OK to find someone who will answer their emergency line.  In general, most dental emergencies are better handled by dentists than ER doctors, and seeing a dentist increases the odds that we can save your tooth.

Step 6: Don’t let an injury ruin your holidays

The great news is that most damage to teeth is minor, and we can repair it in our office or even replace a lost tooth with an implant.  

Chipping or cracking a tooth is scary, but shouldn’t keep you from enjoying the rest of your holidays.  To prevent future injuries, avoid chewing with damaged teeth, and only use your teeth for food – not opening packages or crunching ice!  

By Lumos Dental - New Haven

December 14, 2021