Emergency Dental Care

The doctors and staff at Columbia Square Dental are here to help you, any time, any day. While dental emergencies are rare, it’s important that you know where to go, what to do, and who you can trust to deliver the quality of care you deserve.

If we are not in the office, please leave us a voice mail message. We make every effort to get you the care you need as soon as possible.

In addition to root canals, crowns, extractions, and even extractions of wisdom teeth, our doctors are available to treat a wide range of dental emergencies. These emergencies may include:

Bitten lip or tongue: First, control the bleeding with gauze, paper towel, or any other clean absorbent material. Apply firm pressure. Once the bleeding is stopped, look at your teeth to see if there are any chips or pieces missing, or any teeth that seem to have moved. If you notice any of these things, or if the bleeding does not stop, call and schedule an appointment.

Object caught in teeth: Try to floss the area using a piece of floss with four or five overhand knots tied in the string. Instead of pulling straight up and out as usual, pull to the side and the knots may pull whatever food object may be stuck. If this doesn't work, please call the office so that we can take a look and remove the object.

Broken, chipped, or fractured tooth: It is important to call our office immediately. Teeth that are broken, chipped, or fractured and go un-treated can develop infections which may result in a root canal or loss of the tooth.

Knocked-out tooth: Make every effort to find the tooth and put it in milk, salt water, or (if you are an adult) keep it in your mouth until it can be placed in a salt water solution or milk. This keeps the connective fibers alive until they can be replanted. Bite on gauze to stop bleeding and rinse the oral cavity with warm salt water to remove any dirt or debris that may be in there from the trauma. Contact our office immediately—the sooner you arrive the better the chances of implantation are.

Toothache: Most full-blown toothaches start as a tingling or sensitivity that progressively gets worse. If you drink something cold and it aches for longer than 30 seconds after the cold is gone, you may have a progressing problem. Very few people call at this stage, but this is when treatment is most predictable and oftentimes less painful. Call the office to get in quickly so that we may begin the treatment process.

Broken jaw: Go directly to the emergency room or call the office so that we can refer you to a recommended oral surgeon.