It's happened to a lot of us--that moment when you feel a piece of broken tooth floating around in your mouth.
It's not an uncommon occurrence, but you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who says they were honestly expecting a broken tooth.
You might worry if you need an implant or surgery but there's really only one thing to do at this point: see a specialist.
Find a dentist in your area and schedule an appointment with him or her as soon as possible.
While not every broken tooth is the same, no matter what's happened you'll have to see a dentist to assess the damage.
Of course it's not always possible to set up that appointment as soon as you'd like.
Unfortunately, there is still some danger to leaving your broken tooth unattended, so follow some of these simple steps to help tide yourself over until you get to that appointment.
First, you should assess the damage.
Avoid poking and prodding as best as possible as you could further damage the broken tooth.
Try to at least establish if a root has been exposed.
This shouldn't be too hard to figure out, as the pain this causes is usually immediate and severe.
If you find yourself in an intense amount of pain it's important that you make it to the dentist as soon as possible.
If your appointment is a ways off and you have a few meals between now and then, do your best to stick with soft foods and avoid chewing with the broken tooth.
If you find that the break has left your tooth with a sharp edge that's uncomfortable or painful, you can use chewing gum (make sure it's sugarless!) or some wax paraffin (if you happen to have some handy) to cover it and keep it from damaging parts of your mouth.
Finally, if you are in pain, take some pain reliever while you wait.
You should also try to keep your mouth clean, so use some salt water, but only to rinse.
If you've broken or chipped your tooth, don't freak out! This happens much more often than you think, and even in severe cases where you'd need an implant, you'll be able to meet with a dental specialist soon enough who will be able to address your concerns.
In the meantime, keep that tooth safe from further harm with the steps we've discussed and you'll be just fine.
It's not an uncommon occurrence, but you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who says they were honestly expecting a broken tooth.
You might worry if you need an implant or surgery but there's really only one thing to do at this point: see a specialist.
Find a dentist in your area and schedule an appointment with him or her as soon as possible.
While not every broken tooth is the same, no matter what's happened you'll have to see a dentist to assess the damage.
Of course it's not always possible to set up that appointment as soon as you'd like.
Unfortunately, there is still some danger to leaving your broken tooth unattended, so follow some of these simple steps to help tide yourself over until you get to that appointment.
First, you should assess the damage.
Avoid poking and prodding as best as possible as you could further damage the broken tooth.
Try to at least establish if a root has been exposed.
This shouldn't be too hard to figure out, as the pain this causes is usually immediate and severe.
If you find yourself in an intense amount of pain it's important that you make it to the dentist as soon as possible.
If your appointment is a ways off and you have a few meals between now and then, do your best to stick with soft foods and avoid chewing with the broken tooth.
If you find that the break has left your tooth with a sharp edge that's uncomfortable or painful, you can use chewing gum (make sure it's sugarless!) or some wax paraffin (if you happen to have some handy) to cover it and keep it from damaging parts of your mouth.
Finally, if you are in pain, take some pain reliever while you wait.
You should also try to keep your mouth clean, so use some salt water, but only to rinse.
If you've broken or chipped your tooth, don't freak out! This happens much more often than you think, and even in severe cases where you'd need an implant, you'll be able to meet with a dental specialist soon enough who will be able to address your concerns.
In the meantime, keep that tooth safe from further harm with the steps we've discussed and you'll be just fine.