El Paso Family Dental provides emergency dentistry in El Paso, TX. Call 915-585-2020 for urgent dental treatment.
What Is Emergency Dentistry?
Emergency dentistry refers to treatment for urgent dental situations. As opposed to routine dental care and scheduled procedures, emergency dentistry addresses the unplanned problems that arise with teeth or the soft tissues of the mouth.
Procedures Offered
We provide treatment for the following dental emergencies:
- Severe toothache. A severe toothache most likely indicates an infected tooth. If you have a toothache that persists and doesn’t respond to over the counter pain medication, please call us immediately.
- Knocked out tooth. If a permanent tooth gets knocked out, immediate treatment may save the tooth. Pick the tooth up by the crown and avoid touching the root. Carefully rinse off the tooth (plug the drain first!) and put the tooth back in the socket if you can. Bite down on some clean gauze and call us. If you can’t get the tooth back in the socket, put it in a cup of milk or saliva and call us. Do not attempt to put a baby tooth back in the socket.
- Chipped, cracked, or broken tooth. If a tooth is chipped, cracked, or broken, save whatever pieces of the broken tooth you can find in milk or saliva and call us. We may be able to reattach some pieces of your tooth. In most cases the tooth will need a crown.
- Soft tissue injury. If you cut or bite your lip, tongue, or the inside of your cheeks it can be severe enough to require emergency treatment. If the cut is deep or the bleeding won’t stop, please call us.
Contact Us
In case of a dental emergency, call 915-585-2020. During office hours we will see you according to the urgency of your situation. After hours please call and follow the instructions provided and someone will contact you shortly with further instructions. In case of a life threatening emergency, call 911 or proceed to the nearest emergency department.
Book An Appointment Today
Call 915-585-2020 to schedule an appointment.
Frequently Asked Questions About Emergency Dentistry
Why should you avoid putting a knocked out baby tooth back in the socket?
Attempting to put a baby tooth back in the socket could potentially damage the permanent tooth underneath. Depending on how soon the permanent tooth will come in, a placeholder may be used to hold the space open for the permanent tooth
What constitutes a dental emergency?
If the situation is urgent enough that it can’t wait until the next day, you should seek emergency dental care. Severe pain, uncontrolled bleeding, or damage to a tooth should be addressed right away. In the case of a knocked out tooth, we only have about 30 minutes to save the tooth, so time is of the essence.
How do I know if the situation becomes life threatening?
In the case of uncontrollable bleeding, difficulty breathing, or loss of consciousness, call 911 or proceed to the nearest emergency department.
What should I do if a tooth is knocked loose but is still in my mouth?
In the case of a tooth that is knocked loose, it is still best to give us a call. We may not need to provide immediate treatment after hours, but we will want to check the tooth and possibly apply treatment the following day.
Why must a knocked out tooth be put in milk or saliva rather than water?
Milk or saliva are the best liquids for storing knocked out teeth because they prevent the tooth from drying out. Although water does not harm your teeth when you drink it, the roots of your teeth will swell if they are submerged in water, which can make the tooth unable to be put back into place.