A cracked tooth always comes as a shock. And no matter how careful you are, a cracked tooth can always happen — usually at the most unexpected times. And yes, it’s usually painful.

What do you do if you crack a tooth? For starters, call our dentist office in Tucson right away. Our dentist office offers urgent dental care — and can usually deal with 24 hour dental emergencies. Our staff tends to keep a few appointment slots open during our day just for such a crisis! We might be able to get you in today — or as soon as we can.

What to Do if You Chip a Tooth

A tooth with a minor crack or chip is not an immediate emergency. You can usually wait a little while for medical attention. Be careful about what foods you eat until we see you — avoid biting into anything hard. Stick to soups, yogurts, and spaghetti for the next few days. You should also avoid foods with extreme temperatures — nothing overly hot or cold.

Break a Tooth? What to Do

If you break a tooth, call us immediately. You should also rinse out your mouth with lukewarm salt water for a few minutes. This will help kill any infection.

You can apply a cold compress to the cheek near the broken tooth. Don’t have an ice pack? A bag of frozen vegetables will work in a pinch.

If your tooth is bleeding, apply gauze to help soak up the blood. A peppermint tea bag can also help absorb blood and acts as a natural pain reliever.

If the break is severe enough, you need to see a dentist within 24 hours. A severely broken tooth is absolutely a 24 hour dental emergency. Call us! We’ll get you in right away.

What to Do if You Lose a Tooth

If a tooth has popped out of your mouth, wrap it in gauze and try to place it back in the socket. If the tooth has dirt on it, rinse it lightly with water. Don’t try to scrub or clean it. Don’t remove any bits of tissue.

If you can’t get it back into the socket, place the tooth in a glass of cold milk, saline solution, or water. Try to get to the dentist in the next 30 minutes. We may be able to resocket the tooth so it heals as good as new.

Are You in Pain? Home Remedies You Can Try Until We See You

Are you experiencing pain? This is probably the first question we’ll ask when you call our Tucson office.

If you are in pain, there are home remedies you can try to bring some relief. Over the counter pain medication like Advil and Tylenol can work wonders. Drinking lukewarm peppermint tea may also help. You can also try placing cooled used peppermint tea bags against the broken or cracked tooth.

You can also apply clove oil to the impacted tooth. This is available in most grocery stores and in the first aid aisle of the drug store. Clove oil is rich in eugenol, a natural numbing agent with anti-inflammatory properties.

How to Protect Your Tooth Until You See a Dentist

If the chip in your tooth is small, place dental sealant wax over the edge of the tooth. This will keep it from slicing your tongue.

What We Can Do at Our Dentist Office in Tucson

If you’ve lost the tooth, you’ve saved it in milk, and we see you in a half hour or so, we may be able to place the tooth back in the socket.

If your tooth is chipped, we may repair the chipped tooth with a veneer. This is a cosmetic dentistry procedure that will have your tooth looking as good as new!

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