HomeDental Emergencies
What to do about a dental emergency in Salisbury, NC,
in the first hour.
First aid for the six problems that bring people in urgently, and when a hospital is the right call instead.
Start Here
Call first,
then steady the situation.
If something has happened to your mouth today, call Okonic Dental at (704) 637-0150. During office hours (Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm; Friday by appointment only), emergencies are seen promptly and often the same day. Outside those hours, call the same number and follow the voicemail instructions.
What follows is what is commonly advised between the injury and the appointment. It is general first aid, not a diagnosis. When in doubt, call and describe what you are seeing.
The first hour, problem by problem
Commonly advisedA knocked-out tooth
Time decides this one. Pick the tooth up by the crown, never the root, and rinse it gently in milk or water without scrubbing. It is commonly advised to slip it back into the socket and hold it there with a light bite on clean gauze. Otherwise keep it in milk or saliva and come straight in. Never let it dry out, and never put a baby tooth back.
A cracked or chipped tooth
Rinse with warm water and save any pieces to bring with you. A cold compress against the cheek helps with swelling. If the edge is sharp, sugarless gum or dental wax over it protects your tongue.
A lost filling or crown
Keep the crown and bring it in, because it can often be cleaned and re-seated. Rinse with warm salt water and do not chew on that side. Drugstore temporary cement covers the tooth for a day or two. Never use household glue.
Swelling or an abscess
Facial swelling, a bad taste, a tender bump on the gum, or a tooth that throbs and feels hot all point to infection, and infection does not settle by itself. Call the same day.
A severe toothache
Rinse with warm salt water and floss carefully alongside the tooth once, in case something is trapped. A cold compress helps, and a pain reliever you already take safely takes the edge off. Pain that wakes you up is a reason to be seen.
Bleeding that will not stop
After an extraction or a cut, bite firmly on clean, folded gauze for twenty minutes without lifting it to check. Stay upright, and skip rinsing, spitting, straws and smoking for the rest of the day. If it is still bleeding steadily, call us.
What Not To Do
The things that make it worse.
- Do not hold aspirin or any tablet against the gum. It can burn the tissue.
- Do not use superglue or any household adhesive on a tooth.
- Do not pry at a tooth or try to drain a swelling yourself.
- Do not put heat on a swollen face. Cold against the cheek helps.
- Do not wait out an infection to see whether it settles.
- Do not chew on the damaged side.
When the emergency room is the right call
Some situations belong in a hospital, not a dental chair. Go to the nearest emergency department, or call 911, if:
- Facial trauma from a fall, a crash or a blow, especially if the jaw may be broken.
- Trouble breathing or swallowing, or swelling closing the throat or tracking toward the eye.
- Bleeding will not stop with sustained, firm pressure.
Call us once you are stable and we will take care of the tooth.
Our Process
How we handle emergencies.
Call (704) 637-0150 during office hours. Emergencies are seen promptly and often the same day. Tell the front desk what happened and where it hurts, and they will slot you in and say what to do in the meantime. Outside office hours, call the same number and follow the voicemail instructions. Emergencies are prioritized on the next business day.
You do not need to be an existing patient. Bring your ID and insurance card if you have them, plus any pieces of a broken tooth or crown. If dental visits make you anxious, say so when you call, because nitrous oxide is available.
Once the urgent problem is settled we will go over what the tooth needs longer term, from a filling to a root canal or extraction, and you get a plan first. Directions and parking are on our location and hours page.
Dental emergency questions
Asked most oftenCan I be seen the same day for a dental emergency?
Call (704) 637-0150 during office hours, Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (Friday is by appointment only). Emergencies are seen promptly and often the same day.
What do I do about a dental emergency outside office hours?
Call (704) 637-0150 and follow the voicemail instructions. Emergencies are prioritized on the next business day. Facial trauma, trouble breathing or swallowing, or bleeding that will not stop is an emergency room visit instead.
Is a knocked-out adult tooth worth saving?
Often yes, and time is the deciding factor. It is commonly advised to handle it by the crown, keep it moist in milk or your own saliva, and get to a dentist right away.
If you are not sure whether what you have counts as an emergency, call (704) 637-0150 and describe it. It is better to ask than to sit up all night with it.
In pain today?
Call the office and tell us what happened. Emergencies are seen promptly, often the same day.