Cracked a tooth at the cottage? A Muskoka field guide

It tends to happen on a long weekend. A bite of something harder than it looked, a slip on the dock ladder, a paddle blade that swings the wrong way. When you’re down a gravel road on Lake of Bays and the light is fading over the water, a dentist can feel a long way off.

Here’s what to do on the spot for the dental emergencies that tend to happen at the lake, what to keep in the first-aid box and when to go to the hospital instead. It’s general information, not a diagnosis. If you’re unsure, call us or seek care.

First: is this a hospital situation?

Some injuries need an emergency department, not a dental chair. Go to Huntsville District Memorial Hospital, or call 911, if there is:

• swelling in the face, mouth or neck that affects breathing or swallowing
• bleeding you can’t control with firm, steady pressure
• a possible broken jaw, a jaw that won’t open or close properly, or other facial trauma
• a blow to the head, especially with confusion, vomiting or loss of consciousness

For everything else, call us first at (705) 788-9229.

Chipped or broken tooth

Rinse your mouth gently with warm water. If you can find the broken piece, put it in a small container with a little milk or water and bring it with you; sometimes a fragment can be bonded back. A cold compress on the cheek helps with swelling, and orthodontic wax can cover a sharp edge.

A small chip that doesn’t hurt can usually wait for a regular appointment. If the tooth is painful, sensitive to air or you can see pink or red in the centre of the break, call us the same day.

Knocked-out adult tooth

This is the one where minutes matter.

1. Pick the tooth up by the crown, the white part you chew with. Don’t touch the root.
2. If it’s dirty, rinse it briefly in milk or under cold running water, for no more than about ten seconds. Don’t scrub it, dry it or wrap it in tissue.
3. Try to put it back in its socket, facing the right way, then bite gently on clean gauze or a cloth to hold it in place.
4. If you can’t put it back, keep it moist: in a small container of milk, or inside the mouth between the cheek and gum, but only for someone old enough not to swallow it. Don’t store it in plain water.
5. Get to a dentist right away, ideally within 30–60 minutes.

Never try to put a baby tooth back in, as it can harm the adult tooth developing underneath. Call us to have the child checked.

If an adult tooth is knocked out while we’re closed, don’t wait for us to open. Go to the nearest open dental office or to the hospital emergency department.

Lost filling or crown

Keep the crown in a small container and bring it with you. Temporary filling material from the pharmacy can cover the gap left by a lost filling, and some products can hold a crown in place for a short while; follow the package directions, and don’t force a crown that won’t seat easily. Never use household glue. Chew on the other side and call us to arrange a visit.

Toothache

Rinse with warm salt water, about half a teaspoon of salt in a cup (250 mL) of warm water, and floss gently around the tooth to clear anything caught there. An over-the-counter pain reliever you already know you can take, used as directed on the label, can help. Don’t put aspirin or any tablet directly on the gum; it can burn the tissue. A toothache that wakes you at night, or lingers after something hot or cold, needs to be seen soon.

Swelling

Swelling in the gum or face often points to an infection, and a dental infection won’t clear up on its own. Call us the same day. Use a cold compress on the outside of the cheek, not heat. If the swelling spreads toward your eye or down your neck, comes with a fever or makes it hard to breathe or swallow, go to the hospital right away.

A small cottage dental kit

Tuck these into the first-aid box, beside the sunscreen and the bug spray:

• clean gauze
• a small container with a lid, for a broken piece or a knocked-out tooth
• salt, for warm rinses
• an over-the-counter pain reliever you already know you can take
• orthodontic wax, for sharp edges or a poking brace wire
• temporary filling material from the pharmacy
• our phone number, (705) 788-9229, written on the lid

It takes five minutes to assemble, and it turns a broken tooth on a Saturday night into something you can manage calmly until you can be seen.

Visitors and cottagers welcome

You don’t need to be one of our regular patients to call. Whether you’re renting for a week, opening up the family cottage or passing through on the way to Algonquin, call us at (705) 788-9229, Monday to Thursday, 8 am to 5 pm, and we’ll help you work out what to do next. We’re upstairs from Pharmasave at 29 Main St E, with an elevator and wheelchair access.

For more on urgent care, see our emergency dentistry page.