We have all been there, Friday evening your mouth starts to hurt. Your dentist’s office is already closed for the weekend. What can you do to hold you over until Monday morning? While there are some dental emergencies that you should call an emergency dentist about immediately, there are others that you can manage yourself until the dentist office opens Monday morning. Here are some tips and tricks to manage your dental emergency for a few days.

Managing a Dental Emergency: Toothaches

Tooth pain can be one of the most uncomfortable and painful experiences. Toothaches turn eating and sleeping into difficult chores. While a toothache may be uncomfortable, it is most likely not a dental emergency. You can manage your toothache for a few days with the following tips.

• Clean the Surrounding Areas: Rinsing your mouth out with warm water and flossing around the tooth that hurts can help to alleviate pain. Be gentle; you could do more damage if you aren’t careful.
• Reduce the Pain: Despite what you may read on the internet you should never rub painkillers on your gums. This can burn your gums and do more harm than good. You can take over the counter painkillers like aspirin. There are also topical numbing products that can numb your mouth and reduce pain. Use these products in moderation because too much can cause unwanted side effects.

If you have pain from a broken tooth, you can follow the suggestions listed above, but you will also want to contact an emergency dentist immediately. A broken tooth is a dental emergency that you need to take care of as soon as possible. Ericcson Dental offers 24-hour emergency dental procedures. Contact Ericcson Dental immediately if you have a broken tooth.

Managing a Dental Emergency: Loose Crown

Another common dental emergency is a crown that has become loose or fallen out completely. The common cause of a loose crown is a cavity or rotten tooth underneath. A crown or cap that falls out can leave the tooth underneath exposed and can cause severe pain. The teeth underneath crowns are often damaged, and therefore they are very sensitive. You should get to the dentist as soon as possible if you have a loose crown. However, there are some steps that you can take if you can’t make it to the dentist in the next day or two.

• Recement the Crown: There are over the counter dental cement products that you can find in most drug stores. You can attempt to recement the crown on your on. If you aren’t feeling up to the task, it is probably best to just let your dentist recement the crown for you. Obviously, the over the counter products are not as permanent as the cement your dentist will use. So, even if you fix the problem on your own, you will still want to see your dentist.
• Avoid Chewing Food: If your missing or loose crown is in a spot that you use to chew avoid eating. You may have to go on a soft food diet for a few days to avoid further issues. While this type of diet may not be ideal, it will prevent any further damage to your mouth. You should also avoid foods that are hot or cold. The change in temperature can affect your newly exposed tooth.

Managing a Dental Emergency: Broken Dentures

A broken set of dentures can be extremely annoying. However, it isn’t an extreme dental emergency. Most people have a spare set of dentures. If you don’t have a spare set of dentures, you should make sure you get one before you need it. If you dentures break and you don’t have a spare set you should contact a dentist immediately. You may be tempted to try to repair your dentures on your own, but these fixes are often short lived.

Ericsson Dental Emergency Dental Services

Ericsson Dental offers a full range of emergency dental services. Whether you have a loose crown, broken tooth, toothache or broken dentures, Dr. Ericsson can help. His team is ready to handle your emergency dental needs despite the time of day. Many dentists only work Monday through Friday 9-5, but Dr. Ericsson understands that dental emergencies happen. No matter what time of day or day of the week your dental emergency happens Ericsson Dental can help. Call now to schedule a regular checkup or an emergency procedure with a Boca Raton, emergency dentist.