Dental Emergency

Your smile is one of the first things other people notice about you. You deserve a porcelain crown, veneer or even composite bond that matches your other teeth.  A confident, sincere and beautiful smile helps you make a great first impression.

When you smile, no one else but your dentist should know that you have had dental work. A broken front tooth is a dental emergency – and even emergency dental treatment needs to give beautiful results. The dentists at McCarl Dental Group in Millersville and Greenbelt Maryland treat cosmetic dental problems as true dental emergencies. When a dental emergency is causing pain, discomfort or embarrassment – we ask, “How soon can you meet us at one of our dental offices?” For three generations, we have treated our patients like family.

Catherine Brandt, a dental patient who visits both our Millersville and Greenbelt Maryland dental offices broke her front tooth. Here is what Catherine said about her experience at McCarl Dental Group. “I never realized how much I valued the ability to smile with confidence until I broke my front tooth.  I wasn’t in any pain, but Dr. Clayton McCarl still treated it as an emergency and fixed me right up with a temporary crown.  Soon after, Dr. Clayton took a mold and fitted me with a permanent crown that perfectly matched my other front tooth in color.  I visited other dentists when I lived outside of Maryland, and each commented on the quality work that Dr. Clayton did on my crown.  The same outstanding level of care and talent is applied to all of my dental needs from the doctors, hygienists, and staff at McCarl Dental.”

Broken teeth needing emergency dental care by Greenbelt dentist

Emergency repair of broken teeth by Greenbelt dentist

At McCarl Dental Group, we treat patients who need emergency dental treatment every day. When a dental emergency is causing pain or prevents you from going out in public, we ask, “How soon can you get to our dental office?”

Pain, swelling, broken teeth and a lost crown are the most common dental emergencies. Sometimes dental emergencies happen when you are traveling or when you just can’t get to a dental office.

Here are some short term remedies you can try before you see your dentist.

Tips for Lost Crown, Veneer or Permanent Bridge – If your crown, veneer or bridge has come loose, the primary short term goal is to NOT swallow or lose it!

If there is any risk of swallowing or losing your crown, veneer or bridge, keep it out of your mouth, store it in a safe place and make an appointment as soon as possible!
Hint: a clear sandwich bag or medicine vial is much safer than wrapping it in a tissue or paper towel – they are often accidently thrown away or simply disappear.

•    Sometimes a patient can re-seat a crown and have it “snap” into place.

•    Another temporary solution is to use Vaseline or an FDA approved denture adhesive as a temporary glue. DO NOT     use super glue or any other type of permanent glue to hold your crown, veneer or permanent bridge into place!

Emergency Dental Care for a Broken Tooth – Does cold air or water cause pain? If so, you should schedule a visit with your dentist as soon as possible. Do not eat on that tooth – a crack can spread and cause major damage.

What to do when a Permanent Tooth is Knocked Out
Gently pick up the tooth by the chewing surface being careful to not touch the root of the tooth. If dirty, gently rinse the tooth in water or milk. Do not use soap, scrub the tooth or wrap it in a tissue. Try to reposition the tooth in its socket immediately – do not use excessive force. The sooner the tooth is replaced the greater the likelihood it will survive. If you cannot get the tooth back into its socket, keep it moist either by carrying the tooth in cool milk or in the mouth – do not swallow the tooth!

Make an appointment with your Greenbelt dentist or Millersville dentist  at McCarl Dental Group as soon as possible and ideally within 30 minutes. You may also apply a cold compress to the mouth and gums to decrease pain and bleeding.