It is the most frightening thing – the phone call from the school. Playground accidents happen, but you never think it will be your child. What do you do when a permanent tooth is completely knocked out? Although this is a rare occurrence, knowing how to help your child can greatly improve the odds of preserving that tooth.

How to help:

• Pick up the tooth without touching the root part, gently rinse it off and quickly put it back in! The best and safest place for a tooth is right back in the socket where it came from. This allows the tooth to maintain a nutrient and oxygen-rich blood supply.
• There are living cells on the surface of the root, and they'll quickly die off if the tooth dries out. Those cells can also be harmed if you vigorously clean the root. If you lose those cells, that tooth loses its ability to properly reattach to the bone.
• If the tooth can't be reinserted, place the tooth in some contact lens solution or milk and get to the dentist immediately. It must be reinserted within one hour to have any chance of reattaching properly.

Dr. Berzin and his staff will act quickly and with your help, get your child back on the road to healing.

There you are, having a lovely dinner with the neighbours when suddenly you bite down on something and a piece of your tooth just breaks away. You feel a jagged edge with your tongue and it feels like half of your tooth is gone.

What do you do? First, avoid chewing on that side. Try to keep the area clean with thorough brushing. You can cause more damage by avoiding the area when cleaning, as plaque will easily accumulate on any surface that isn’t involved in chewing. Your next step is to call Dr. Berzin right away so that he can assess the damage. With an x-ray and an evaluation, Dr. Berzin can provide you with options to suit your needs and schedule.

In most cases, this is a routine thing. As nature has given us a very sensitive tongue, things will seem much larger than what they actually are. We see many broken teeth, particularly around large fillings. Keeping in mind that the bigger the filling, the more likely the chance of a break occurring at some point. How do you know if it's not just a minor break? If you start experiencing significant pain or facial swelling, immediate attention is recommended.

Things felt fine when you went to bed, then suddenly you woke up with a throbbing pain and swelling across your cheek. Perhaps you've noticed a random pain like this in the past, but it always went away on its own – not this time. This is a frightening and stressful scenario, but City Dental Center can help.

The most likely cause of the swelling and pain is an abscess or infection around the root of the tooth or possibly deep within the gums.

How did this problem start? Typically, a deep cavity or trauma can lead to a non-vital or dying tooth. Once a tooth is dead, bacteria can infect the inside of it. Your body’s defenses are not strong enough to eliminate the infection and it results in the pain and swelling.

An abscess can also occur in the gums. In that situation, the tooth is still alive, but an infection has started brewing under the gums. An abscessed tooth can lay silent with only random bouts of discomfort. When the pain subsides on its own, people feel the problem has gone as well, and see no reason to have it treated. That's not wise; painful or not, an abscess is a potentially serious problem.

The treatment needed varies with each case.

Something doesn’t feel right. Every time you chew, something seems to be moving. Then it happens, that sticky piece of gum has grabbed onto your crown and off it comes. At first, you feel panic, and then the question becomes “What do I do now?”

Occasionally, a crown comes off. Although it is unusual for this to happen, City Dental Center is prepared ready to help. The main concern when a crown comes off is that it leaves the tooth unprotected. Your first step is to call Dr. Berzin, but until you can see him, keep your crown in a safe and clean spot. Never wait to get a crown re-cemented as the tooth is now unprotected and the gum tissue will grow quickly without the crown in place. Never try to “glue” it back in yourself either. It is important to remember that glues are toxic in nature and not meant to be used in your mouth.

After a complete evaluation as to the problem with the crown, City Dental Center will explain the treatment options to you. In many cases, a simple re-cementation is all it takes to have you good as new. If there are underlying issues that need addressing, a City Dental Center team, member will walk you through the choices at hand.