It’s never a good feeling. You bite down on a piece of hard food and suddenly realize there’s something in your mouth that’s not food at all. It feels like a rock, like a small pebble — and you know you’ve chipped a tooth. What do you do now?
Simple. Call our Cleveland dentist office in Middleburg Heights immediately. We understand the need for emergency appointments — even if you’re a first-time patient and we’ve never seen you before! Dr. Postel will see you as soon as possible.
And in the meantime, there is plenty you can do at home to take care of your chipped tooth, relieve dental pain, and protect against infection.
Do You Still Have the Tooth? Save It!
If all or part of your tooth has fallen out, try to save it. Place it in a cup of milk. This old wives’ tale is true — milk does act as a preservative. It protects the surface of the tooth from swelling and may preserve it long enough for us to reinsert it back into your mouth. If milk isn’t immediately available, human saliva is the next best thing.
Protecting Your Mouth from Infection
Rinse your mouth with a room temperature saltwater solution. This can protect your mouth from infection. Are your gums or surrounding tissues bleeding? Apply pressure with damp gauze until the bleeding stops. If you lost or chipped a tooth from an accident such as a fall or blow to the mouth, apply cold compresses to your cheek or lips. This helps prevent swelling and relieve pain.
Dental Pain? What You Can Do for Relief
You might feel dental pain — especially after you release your jaw after biting. Your nerve may be exposed, which means you’ll feel dental pain if the area is touched with food, drinks, or hot or cold air.
Take non-prescription pain relievers such as Advil or Tylenol. Gently soothing the area with lukewarm peppermint tea bags may also be helpful.
Visit Our Cleveland Family Dental Clinic in Middleburg Heights
Even if you don’t immediately feel dental pain, we need to get you in as soon as possible. While you don’t need to go to the emergency room, Dr. Postel will need to closely inspect your mouth and come up with a treatment plan. We may do digital x-rays to get a better understanding of the damage. We may recommend a crown or even a root canal. It may even be possible to replant the tooth if you saved it.
Chipping a tooth isn’t the end of the world — but the sooner we treat it, the better.
