Dentist Serving Medford, Central Point, and Ashland, OR

Emergencies

We are available for emergencies. You may call Dr. Schneck’s home phone if the office is closed at (541) 326-7330. However, it is best to take care of your dental pain during the week when the office is open and we can get you into our schedule. If you are swollen or in a lot of pain, chances are you will need antibiotics and many pharmacies are closed in the evenings and weekends.

Toothache

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you use aspirin on the aching tooth or on the gum. In the event of facial swelling, apply a cold compress to the area. For temporary pain relief, ibuprofen is recommended. See Dr. Schneck as soon as possible.

If you have an infection, you might have swelling and/or pain. If we have put you on antibiotics, they will take approximately 48 hours to work. In the meantime you may experience some discomfort. Keep your head elevated at night. Ice or heat packs are not recommended for swelling. For pain, try 3 Ibuprofen (200 mg each taken at the same time).

Sometimes a patient can have some symptoms of pain, yet there is no swelling or signs of an abscess on the x-ray. This could be because the infection is so new that some of the signs of a distinct problem simply haven’t shown up yet. Swelling and/or an abscess may show up in a day or so.
Sometimes patients have discomfort, but little visible reason for it. This could be due to clenching or grinding which will cause sensitivity to hot or cold and pain. Eliminating the clenching or grinding would be the solution.

Knocked Out Permanent Tooth

Recover the tooth, making sure to hold it by the crown (top) and not the root end. Rinse, but do not clean or handle the tooth more than necessary. Reinsert the tooth in the socket and hold it in place using a clean piece of gauze or cloth. If the tooth cannot be reinserted, carry it in a cup containing milk or water. Because time is essential, see Dr. Schneck immediately.

Cracked Tooth Syndrome

Teeth may crack when subjected to stress of chewing hard foods or ice, or by biting on an unexpected hard object. Teeth with or without restorations may exhibit this problem, but teeth restored with typical silver alloy restorations are most susceptible. Also, clenching or grinding of the teeth, which is quite common, can increase the chances of a tooth cracking.
Symptoms and signs are some or all of the following:

1. Pain on chewing.


2. Pain on cold air application.


3. Unsolicited pain (usually leakage of sugar into tooth crack)


4. No radiographic evidence of a problem.


5. No dental decay present.

Easy verification of crack when tooth is prepared for a restoration.
Treatment for a cracked tooth:

Simple crack: The majority of cracked teeth (about 90%) can be treated by placement of a simple crown (cap) on the tooth. When the tooth is prepared for the crown and a temporary restoration is placed, the pain usually leaves immediately. If this is the case with your tooth, we will place the final crown without a problem on your next appointment and the condition should be solved. Cracked teeth, even with crowns placed, are often more sensitive at first, but usually improve over time.

Complex crack: Occasionally (about 10%) the tooth cracks into the pulp (nerve) of the tooth. If the pain persists after placement of the temporary restoration, you may have a crack into the pulp of the affected tooth. Please call us. This tooth may require root canal therapy before the crown is placed.

This may require an additional appointment before the crown is placed. If treatment is not done the crack may deepen until a root canal is necessary or possibly an extraction if the crack extends between the roots.