Symptoms / What To Do

Bad Breath
Bleeding Gums
Bleeding After Extraction
Bleeding Around A Single Tooth?
Bleeding And/or Pus From One Spot Near A Single Tooth
Broken Or Chipped Tooth
Crown (Permanent) Came Off
Crown (Temporary) Came Off
Dark Tooth
Jaw Joint Pain
Loose Or Missing Filling/Crown
Pain (Constant)
Pain (Off/On)
Sensitive Teeth
Tooth Knocked Out
Toothache

BAD BREATH? About 84% of the time, bad breath is caused by gum disease, large cavities, and food particles that remain trapped between teeth and below the gums. Other causes such as sinus drips, gastrointestinal problems, diabetes and spicy foods are transient. Smoking is another obvious, easily remedied cause.
SOLUTIONS: Get a dental check-up. Get your gums healthy with our help. Restore or remove decayed teeth. Good basic oral hygiene that includes minimally flossing and brushing your teeth and brushing or scraping your tongue. Mouthwashes are available through our office that are dramatically effective aids in retarding redevelopment of this common embarrassment. Return to the top.

BLEEDING GUMS? This is not a normal occurrence. Your gums should not bleed. If bleeding persists when brushing or flossing, you probably have some stage of periodontal disease. NOTE: Smoking hides gum disease by preventing the gums from bleeding.
SOLUTIONS: Appropriate in-office treatment is required immediately, and we will then prescribe a home-care regimen to help you control the disease. We can help you improve the condition of your gums and get rid of the bleeding, but we must begin with professional teeth cleaning and perio treatment. Return to the top.

BLEEDING AFTER EXTRACTION? Some light bleeding is common for a day or two after extraction of a tooth. Significant bleeding requires attention. We have given you some cotton gauze to bite on when you leave the office. This applies pressure and helps to promote clotting.
SOLUTIONS: If bleeding persists longer than 2 hours, fold up a moist tea bag and bite on it at the site of the extraction. If bleeding still does not stop, call our office. Emergency instructions are available on the voice mail for after-hours urgent needs. Return to the top

BLEEDING AROUND A SINGLE TOOTH? Could indicate an impaction of food material and is usually accompanied by inflammation of the gum tissue in the same area. Have you recently eaten popcorn or crunchy chips?
SOLUTION: Probe gently with a toothpick to attempt to dislodge the substance. Rinse with warm salt water. If no improvement within 24 hours, call us for an evaluation. Return to the top.

BLEEDING AND/OR PUS FROM ONE SPOT NEAR A SINGLE TOOTH? May indicate an infection at the tip of the root that makes a hole in the bone. The infection works its way to the surface of your gums causing the appearance of blood and/or pus.
SOLUTION: Call our office as soon as possible. You will probably need root canal therapy followed by a crown to restore the tooth. If you delay treatment, this type of infection can quickly spread and easily be life threatening. Return to the top

BROKEN OR CHIPPED TOOTH? A chipped tooth can be repaired and restored to its natural appearance with the cosmetic solutions available today along with a dentist who is skilled and artistic at using them. If the chipped or broken tooth is deep enough to infringe on the sensitive pulp chamber inside the tooth, you will be experiencing considerable pain.
SOLUTION: Take over-the-counter pain medications and call our office immediately. (Ibuprofen works best.) Emergency dental treatment performed in our office may be the only relief from pain. A root canal will be needed to save the tooth if the fracture has penetrated the nerve area. If you are in no pain, call us as soon as reasonably convenient for a cosmetic solution. If a large part of a front tooth has broken off, retrieve the broken piece if possible and bring it with you to our office. Return to the top.

CROWN (PERMANENT) CAME OFF? Do not delay in calling us because your adjacent and opposing teeth will begin to shift within a matter of a few hours. This makes it impossible to recement the crown and we'll need to re-prep the tooth and prepare a new crown.
SOLUTION: Save the crown or bridge as it may be able to be cleaned off and recemented. Immediately call us for an appointment to recement the crown. If the tooth or crown is damaged, we will need to do some repair work and fabricate a new crown. Over-the-counter pain medications should ease any discomfort until you can be seen in the office. Out of town and no time to find a dentist? Always try to see a dentist first, but a nearby pharmacy will have temporary cements that could be helpful. Return to the top.

CROWN (TEMPORARY) CAME OFF? Recementation of a temporary is usually quick and easy. The temporary is placed to protect the tooth we're restoring for you during the weeks it takes to create your natural-looking permanent crown. The temporary also serves to "reserve" the space for the precisely fitted permanent. It was cemented with a temporary cement so that it will be easy for us to remove when it's time to replace it with your permanent crown or bridge. Do not delay in calling us because your adjacent and opposing teeth will begin to shift within a matter of a few hours making it impossible for the permanent crown to be fitted in the space.
SOLUTION: Save the temporary until you come to our office because we can often recement the same temporary. Take over-the-counter pain medication if necessary and call us. We will need to see you to recement the temporary within a few hours so the teeth will not begin to shift into the open space. A 10-minute appointment is usually sufficient and we try to see you at your convenience. Do not try to cement the crown yourself, especially with super-glue. If you are out-of-town and cannot get to our office quickly, go to the drug store and ask for Den-Temp or other brand of temporary cement. Over-the-counter pain medications should ease any discomfort until you can be seen in the office. Return to the top.

DARK TOOTH? An isolated dark tooth is an indication of an injury that has cut off the flow of blood into the tooth; also the nerve of the tooth may have died
SOLUTION: Root canal treatment may be necessary in order to save the tooth. This can usually be done in a single appointment of about 1 to 2 hours. Cosmetic solutions are available to restore the natural color of the tooth. Call for an evaluation and free cosmetic consultation. Return to the top.

JAW JOINT PAIN? May be caused by chewing, sleeping on your side, or may be chronic. Jaw joint pain is a symptom of Temporo-Mandibular Disorder (TMD), commonly known as TMJ Syndrome. Symptoms can be related to stress, a bad bite, misaligned teeth, arthritis, or missing teeth. A wide range of treatment is available and needs to be customized based on your own individual case.
SOLUTION: For temporary relief, place ice pack 20 minutes on/20 minutes off; take Advil, 2 at each meal and 2 at bedtime. Soft diet. No chewing gum. Sleep on your back. Call our office as soon as possible for a complete diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Return to the top.

LOOSE OR MISSING FILLING/CROWN? Do not delay more than a few days in calling our office if you have loose or missing dental work. This open area of tooth allows decay to quickly spread and attack the nerve of the tooth, which could result in the need for root canal therapy or loss of the tooth. Also, if you delay having a crown replaced, teeth may begin to shift in as little as 24 hours, making it impossible to recement the crown.
SOLUTION: If you are in pain, take over-the-counter pain medication such as Tylenol or Advil. Call us to schedule an appointment ASAP. If over-the-counter pain medication is ineffective, call our office, follow voice mail instructions for leaving an urgent message and someone will return your call ASAP. Return to the top.

PAIN (CONSTANT) CAUSED BY CRACKS IN YOUR TEETH? Constant pain means the crack extends beyond the outer surface of the tooth and may already reach into the nerve area of the tooth. A crown will need to be done to restore the tooth. A root canal may or may not be necessary before the crown.
SOLUTION: Take over-the-counter pain medications, and call us ASAP for an evaluation. We will need to take an x-ray for accurate diagnosis, but will be able to remedy your pain almost immediately. If over-the-counter pain medication is ineffective, call our office, follow voice mail instructions for leaving an urgent message and someone will return your call ASAP. Return to the top.

PAIN (OFF/ON) CAUSED BY CRACKS IN YOUR TEETH? Off/on pain when chewing is caused by the underlying tooth structure flexing with the crack. A portion of the tooth may be getting ready to break off.
SOLUTION: Call us immediately so you can be seen as soon as possible. Delaying may increase the likelihood the tooth will break off or crack down through the extent of the root. This may result in the need for a root canal or loss of the tooth. Early detection assures minimal treatment. Take over-the-counter pain medication as needed to soothe discomfort. In the meantime, do not chew on that area. Return to the top.

SENSITIVE TEETH? Is sensitivity due to hot, cold, or pressure and is it prolonged or off and on? Sensitivity can be an indication of exposed root, broken fillings or teeth, fractures or infection in the nerve.
SOLUTION: Over-the-counter pain medication should help until we can see you in the office. If over-the-counter pain medication is ineffective, call our office, follow voice mail instructions for leaving an urgent message and someone will return your call ASAP. Return to the top.

TOOTH KNOCKED OUT? If a tooth becomes loose or is knocked out due to trauma such as a blow to the mouth, it is imperative that you act quickly. If you get to us within one hour, the prognosis is pretty good for successful reimplantation, though a root canal may be necessary.
ADULT SOLUTIONS: If the tooth is loosely dislodged, apply light finger pressure to try to push the tooth back into its position. Do not apply a lot of pressure. If the tooth is completely out, place it between your cheek and gum and get to our office within 1 hour. After-hours, call the office and follow voice mail instructions for leaving an urgent message. We will be contacted and will call you back ASAP. If you are afraid you might swallow the tooth, put it in a glass of milk or water and bring it with you. Do not rub or wipe the tooth off. You may only rinse it off with water.
CHILDREN'S SOLUTIONS: Place the tooth in a glass of milk or water or gently wrap in a clean, damp cloth and get to us within one hour. Call ahead so we can expect you. If it's after-hours, call the office and follow voice mail instructions for an urgent call. We will be contacted and will return the call ASAP. Delaying more than an hour decreases the likelihood of successful reimplantation. Do no rub or wipe the tooth off. You may only rinse it off with water. Return to the top.

TOOTHACHE? Accurate diagnosis of the cause of the problem will direct the best course of effective treatment. A sick tooth will not get better. Symptoms may subside temporarily but the problem still exists and will not go away by itself. Delaying treatment will only allow the condition to worsen, require more extreme measures for remedy and will ultimately be more costly. Progression of treatment for a toothache typically follows the pattern of filling or repair, root canal, extraction, bridge, or implant. Obviously it's more cost effective and easier on the patient if treatment takes place as early in that progression as possible, thus avoiding further decline.
SOLUTION: If trapped food is the source of the toothache, gently flossing the area to dislodge food should give immediate relief. If the pain continues, you may try applying ice wrapped in cloth to the side of your face. Do not apply heat. Do not put aspirin directly on the tooth or gums. Call our office as soon as possible. Return to the top.