Dental emergency? Here's exactly what to do.

What to do when a tooth is knocked out

A knocked-out (avulsed) permanent tooth is one of the few true minute-by-minute dental emergencies. Teeth re-implanted within 30–60 minutes have the best chance of surviving — so move quickly, but don't panic. Here's exactly what to do.

Step 1: Find the tooth and pick it up by the crown

The crown is the white part you normally see when you smile. Never touch the root. The root is covered in delicate living fibers (the periodontal ligament) that the tooth needs to reattach — handling or scrubbing them can destroy the tooth's chances.

Step 2: Rinse gently — don't scrub

If the tooth is dirty, rinse it for a few seconds under cool water or milk. No soap, no scrubbing, no wrapping it in a tissue (tissues dry the root out).

Step 3: Try to place it back in the socket

If you can, gently push the tooth back into its socket, facing the right way, and have the person bite softly on a piece of clean gauze or cloth to hold it in place. This is the single best storage place for a knocked-out tooth. It's normal for this to feel strange — it shouldn't take force.

Step 4: If it won't go back in, keep it moist

In order of preference, store the tooth in:

1. Cold milk — the best common household option.
2. Saliva — tucked inside the cheek (for adults and older kids only; not for young children who might swallow it).
3. Saline solution — contact-lens saline works in a pinch.

Never store the tooth in plain water — it damages the root cells within minutes.

Step 5: Call us immediately

Call 385-464-6864 on your way in. The faster we can re-implant and splint the tooth, the better the odds we save it. Even if it's been more than an hour, come in anyway — there are still options, and the socket itself needs care.

What to do when you're experiencing tooth pain

Tooth pain is your body's check-engine light — it almost never turns off on its own, but there's a lot you can do to stay comfortable until you're in the chair. Here's what the emergency dentists at Open Now Dental recommend.

1. Rinse with warm salt water

Mix half a teaspoon of salt into a cup of warm water and swish gently for 30 seconds. It cleans the area, soothes irritated gums, and can dislodge trapped food — a surprisingly common cause of sudden pain.

2. Floss around the painful tooth

A popcorn hull or seed wedged below the gumline can mimic a serious toothache. Gently floss both sides of the sore tooth before assuming the worst.

3. Use over-the-counter pain relief — the right way

For most adults, alternating ibuprofen (Advil) and acetaminophen (Tylenol) per the label directions controls dental pain better than either one alone. Ibuprofen also reduces the inflammation that's usually driving the pain.

Never place an aspirin directly on the tooth or gums — it doesn't work and it chemically burns the tissue.

4. Cold compress for swelling

If your face is swollen, hold a cold pack wrapped in a towel against your cheek for 15–20 minutes at a time. Avoid heat on the outside of your face — it can draw an infection outward.

5. Avoid the triggers

• Skip very hot, cold, sweet, or acidic food and drinks.
• Chew on the other side of your mouth.
• Sleep with your head slightly elevated — lying flat increases blood pressure in the tooth and makes throbbing worse at night.

6. Call a dentist — sooner, not later

Pain relief is a bridge, not a fix. Whatever caused the pain (a cavity, a crack, an infection) is still there and progressing. We hold same-day emergency slots every Friday afternoon and all weekend specifically for this. Call 385-464-6864 and we'll get you in.

Best things to do when tooth pain won't go away

If your toothache has lasted more than a day or two — or it faded and came roaring back — it's telling you something important. Persistent tooth pain almost always means the nerve of the tooth is inflamed or infected, and that doesn't heal on its own. Here's how to handle it the smart way.

Understand what lasting pain usually means

• Throbbing pain that wakes you up at night usually points to an inflamed or dying nerve (pulpitis).
• Pain when biting down suggests a crack, a failing filling, or an abscess at the root tip.
• Lingering sensitivity to hot (more than 30 seconds) is a classic sign of nerve damage.
• Pain that suddenly disappears can actually be bad news — it may mean the nerve has died. The infection is still there and often returns as swelling.

Do this while you wait for your appointment

1. Stay on a consistent pain-relief schedule. Alternating ibuprofen and acetaminophen per label directions works better than chasing the pain after it spikes.
2. Keep the area clean. Brush and floss normally and rinse with warm salt water after meals. A cleaner site means less inflammation.
3. Don't self-treat with leftover antibiotics. The wrong antibiotic at the wrong dose can mask symptoms while the infection spreads — and makes it harder to treat properly.
4. Track your symptoms. Note what triggers the pain, how long it lingers, and whether anything has changed. Those details help us diagnose the cause in minutes.

Get it diagnosed — that's the only real fix

Home care manages symptoms; it can't fix a deep cavity, a cracked root, or an abscess. The actual solutions — a filling, a crown, a root canal, or an extraction — all start with an exam and an X-ray. The good news: modern treatment is fast and comfortable, and getting out of chronic pain usually takes a single visit to start.

Waiting, on the other hand, has a predictable ending. Infections grow, treatment gets more involved, and costs go up. The cheapest, easiest version of treatment is the one you get today.