How to Respond to a Dental Emergency
Not all dental situations are considered to be emergencies. Some dental problems can wait until the dentist is open while others require urgent care. If dental concerns cause excruciating pain or are increasing the risk of developing further complications, your dentist might consider it as a dental emergency? However, do you know how to respond to such situations?
When you have a damaged tooth causing much pain or is life-threatening, you can contact 911 or visit an emergency room near you. If you contact our dentist at Sunset Point Dental, we will schedule the appointment and offer treatment on the same day. In this blog, you are about to learn how to respond to different dental emergencies.
Dental Emergencies and Response
Several dental situations qualify to be dental emergencies. Here is how to respond to them:
Knocked-Out or Broken Tooth
When playing soccer, basketball, driving, or any other activity, you can crash to an object or fall, causing an injury on your face. The impact from the fall or blow can break or knock out your teeth. In such a scenario, you are likely to experience bleeding, pain, and discomfort. Therefore, you can consider seeking emergency dentistry services.
After contacting your dentist and scheduling an appointment, you can choose to administer first aid. If your tooth is knocked out, collect and clean it without touching the root nerves. Next, try placing it back correctly in the socket. Alternatively, you can store the tooth in milk or saliva and take it with you to the dentist office within an hour to increase chances of saving it.
If the socket is bleeding, you can use gauze to stop excessive blood loss. Alternatively, you can bite down a teabag. To relieve pain, you can take over-the-counter medications such as Tylenol and ibuprofen. How, you should consult your dentist first to ensure the pain-relievers will not have side-effects, depending on your condition.
Unexplained Toothache and Swelling
Are you experiencing a toothache that came suddenly without a known root cause? You might have infected gums or a tooth abscess. Therefore, you should consider seeking dental care services immediately since you might be at risk of developing other complications such as periodontitis and bone loss.
If the gum or the jaw is swollen and the swelling does not go away even after trying home-based treatment, it is advisable to seek diagnosis and treatments immediately. Worst case scenario, a swollen jaw might be a result of oral cancer that can be fatal if left untreated.
To reduce pain and discomfort, you can take an over-the-counter pain reliever. If you have a foul taste in your mouth, you can use an antiseptic mouth rinse or rinse your mouth using warm saline water. For swelling, apply an ice pack on the face over the swollen jaw. In case you have dental abscesses, you can swish clove in your mouth to reduce the painful sensation on your gums.
Stuck Object Between Your Teeth
Children tend to take and putting everything in their mouths. Sometimes you or your kid can bite on a log or a bone when eating fish or meat. When an object gets stuck between the teeth, you might experience discomfort and pain. Therefore, seeking emergency dental care would be the right move.
In such a scenario, contacting your emergency dentist should be the first step. If you try to remove the object, you might bruise your gums or damage the adjacent teeth. However, if the object is soft, you can use dental floss to remove it.
Lost or Damaged Tooth Restoration
Do you have a tooth restoration such as a dental crown or filling and feeling a taste of coins in your mouth? If so, your tooth restorations might be damaged. When, you leave the tooth restoration, unreplaced or without repairs, you might be at risk of tooth decay, root canal infection, gum disease and tooth loss.
Therefore, you should consider getting replacement or repairs for the tooth immediately after tasting pennies in your mouth. To prevent infections on the tooth, you can rinse your mouth with warm saline water. The warm saline water kills bacteria in the mouth, preventing accumulation and action on the enamel.