Dental accidents or conditions should never be ignored. However, you cannot be expected to know exactly what to do in the event of a dental emergency. The best way to move towards the most positive outcome is to contact the office of your Brookline dentist, Dr. Kovtun, immediately after an injury or the onset of a painful problem.

The sooner dental care is obtained, the sooner a dental problem can be resolved. Prompt attention to dental problems can also mean the difference between losing and saving a natural tooth. For patients in the areas of Boston, Brighton, Allston, and Brookline, or even those who are visiting from out of town, we strive to schedule same-day treatment for urgent dental needs. Our team can provide care for a bad toothache or for a tooth that has been broken or knocked out.

We encourage patients, whether they have seen us before or not, to contact us for care immediately upon experiencing a dental emergency. Additionally, we offer temporary solutions to reduce pain and improve the chances of saving natural tooth structure until care can be obtained in our office:

Chipped or broken tooth

If tooth chips or breaks, a warm water rinse can improve comfort. If necessary, over the counter pain-relieving medication such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen may be taken. Do not take aspirin. If swelling occurs, a cold compress may be placed onto the cheek.

Dislodged tooth

This is different than a tooth being knocked out. A dislodged tooth is loose but remains attached to some degree. In this emergency, try to replace the tooth into the proper position and then bite down to keep it stabilized until you reach our office.

Knocked out tooth

Knocked-out teeth may be able to be saved, but time is of the essence. If a tooth is knocked out, the crown should be located and rinsed very gently. A knocked-out tooth should be handled only by the crown, not by the roots. It should not be scrubbed. If possible, the tooth can be replaced into the socket and held in place by biting down. If this cannot be done, the tooth can be kept in milk or in saline solution for transport to the dental office. The goal here is to keep the tooth hydrated until Dr. Kovtun can assess the situation.

Food or object between teeth

Care must be taken to attempt dislodging food or another object from in between teeth. The first solution is to try to floss the object out or rinse it out gently. If an object will not come loose, contact our office, where we can use precision instruments to remove the lodged object.