Having a cracked tooth can be painful. It can actually impact not only your smile and your dental health, but it has the potential to affect your overall health as well. Life is full of surprises and that means from time to time you may be dealt a harsh blow to your mouth, teeth, or gums. When that happens, you might end up with a cracked tooth.
The first thing to do is to gather any large piece of your tooth, if something broke off, and place it in a cup of milk. The calcium will help to ensure that the tooth doesn’t decay. This could help if it can be salvaged.
Next, try and keep from damaging the tooth further. Avoid eating hard foods and if you can avoid it, try not to eat anything at all until you’re able to visit a dentist.
Don’t try to wiggle the tooth or see how severe the crack in the tooth is; instead, do your best to leave it alone. Find a dentist who will be able to repair that tooth as soon as possible.
Depending on when you cracked your tooth, most dentist offices might be closed. In that case, they will likely have an answering service that will advise you of the next available appointment and then they may give you some care tips to help alleviate any pain and to prevent further damage to the tooth.
However, you shouldn’t have to wait. You should have a dental team that can handle emergency situations. They should be able to see you as soon as possible without making you wait too long.
The sooner that you are seen by a dentist, the better the chances are to have your cracked tooth repaired, capped, or removed so that a restorative tooth can be set in place. It will also save you money.
If you’ve suffered a cracked tooth, call on The Dental Centre. We service the communities of Uxbridge, Stouffville, Port Perry, Sunderland & Burlington, and have experienced dentists ready to assist with any type of dental emergency that you may have. Taking care of a dental emergency quickly can mean the difference between saving your cracked tooth and having more costly repair work to look forward to in the future.