When there is a dental emergency, you will need to have immediate attention. You will need to contact your dentist as soon as possible or you can visit the nearest emergency room. However, it is good to know what you can do in the aftermath of an injury or any other emergency so that you can ensure you have a better chance of healing once you get to the dentist.
An emergency dentist is there to deal with such problems and it is best to have a contact number for an emergency dentist in case you need it. They will generally have an emergency number you can call even after office hours. You can contact the dentist for further instruction when you experience trauma or pain. Some examples of dental emergencies are having a knocked out tooth, dental abscess, extremely bad toothache, cracked tooth, partially dislodged tooth, lost dental restoration or a soft tissue injury like a busted lip. It can be so difficult to undergo a severe toothache.
So when you have one, you can check if there’s any food lodged in your teeth; this can be removed by flossing. You also need to rinse your mouth properly with warm water. If you notice that your mouth is swollen, you can use a cold compress. This can be applied to the outside of your mouth. There are also over the counter pain relief medication that will give you some temporary relief. You can then make an appointment to have your teeth seen earliest by your dentist.
If you experience a badly cracked tooth where you actually have pieces break off, make sure you rinse the pieces out and save them. You need to rinse your mouth with warm water and stop the bleeding by applying gauze to the area. You can deal with the swelling using a cold compress. When there is an infection between teeth and gums or around the root of the tooth, it is called an abscess. This is a serious emergency as it can damage surrounding teeth and tissue. You should always seek treatment as ignoring it will have the infection spread to other parts of the body. Use a mild salt water solution to remove some of the pus inside. You can rinse your mouth with this several times a day until you can visit the dentist.
Especially in sports if you are not wearing a mouth guard or if you just happen to take a bad fall there is a risk of one of your teeth getting knocked out. You need to retrieve it immediately holding it by the crown and rinse the root of the tooth with water. You may notice some tissue fragments attached to the tooth still but these should not be removed. See if the tooth can be put back in the socket but if it is not possible, try not to force it in.
Fill a small container with milk and keep the knocked out tooth inside and get to a dental clinic as soon as possible. If the tooth is only partially dislodged, all you can do is apply a cold compress and take some over the counter pain medication until you can make an appointment.