Emergency Dentistry Specialist
Emergency Dentistry in Porterville, CA
Emergency Dentistry Q & A
- Loose tooth
- Tooth injury
- Knocked out tooth
- Soft tissue injury
- Severe infection
- Fractured or chipped tooth
In some cases, Dr. Hardt and Dr. Monterroso can save a knocked out or loose tooth. To increase your chances of keeping your natural tooth, you should carefully pick up the tooth without touching the roots.
Use clean water to rinse the tooth thoroughly. If possible, try reinserting the tooth back into the empty socket and hold it in place with your tongue until you see Dr. Hardt or Dr. Monterroso.
If putting the tooth back in your mouth isn’t possible, place the tooth in a clean container of milk.
If you experience severe pain and swelling in a decayed or injured tooth and suspect you have an infection, call Richard Hardt, D.D.S. right away. An infection or abscess in your mouth can lead to life-threatening complications.
Call the office as soon as possible to schedule an evaluation of your infection. You may need to take antibiotics to clear the infection before receiving other dental work. You can use over-the-counter pain relievers to keep you comfortable, and ice packs on your cheeks help alleviate swelling.
For serious infections, Dr. Hardt and Dr. Monterroso may recommend draining an abscess or performing a root canal once they treat the infection.
If the infection occurs during the night, seek medical help from the nearest emergency room to prevent the infection from spreading to other areas of your body or blood.
If you don’t seek immediate dental treatment for a tooth injury, you increase your risk of losing your tooth. In many cases, seeing Dr. Hardt or Dr. Monterroso within 30 minutes of your injury helps improve your chances of keeping your natural tooth.
Waiting too long to seek treatment may result in the need for a tooth extraction and restorative dental procedures in the future.
If you have a dental emergency, don’t delay treatment. Schedule a same-day appointment by calling Richard Hardt, D.D.S. in Porterville, California, directly or check availability using the online booking feature.