If you’ve ever wondered what to do in the event of a dental emergency, consider the following tips.
Keep Your Dentist’s Contact Information Handy
Most oral healthcare providers will keep room in their schedule on a daily basis for emergencies. The sooner you call your dentist, the sooner you can receive treatment. Consider keeping your dental practice’s phone number saved in your mobile phone and keeping business cards in your work desk and vehicle so you can make an emergency appointment as soon as possible.
Responding to Broken, Chipped, and Cracked Teeth
Cracking or breaking a tooth can be incredibly distressing. There are steps you can take to save your tooth and mitigate discomfort until you see your oral healthcare provider.
If possible, save your broken tooth and/or its pieces. Your dentist might be able to reattach them. Place the tooth or its pieces in a tooth preservation product or wedge it between your cheeks and gums to keep it alive. It’s important to get to your dentist’s office right away.
You can also apply clean gauze to wounds to help control bleeding after a dental injury. Keep in mind that uncontrollable bleeding often requires a trip to the emergency room.
Handling a Toothache
If you wake up with tooth pain, call your dental practice immediately to make an appointment. A toothache normally signals that a tooth is infected. It’s important to treat infected teeth quickly since they can abscess and might ultimately need to be extracted.
You can control discomfort from a toothache by taking over the counter pain medications like Advil. Never dissolve aspirin directly over a dental injury or an infected tooth.
Pack a Dental Emergency Kit
Keeping a dental emergency first aid kit can be helpful. Your kit should contain the contact information to your dentist’s office along with over the counter pain relievers, sterile gauze, and portable ice packs. Save-A-Tooth solution is helpful for storing pieces of a broken tooth until you can make it to your appointment.
For more information or to reserve an appointment with our emergency dentist, call Cowdin Cosmetic Dentistry.