Nobody likes to think about the possibility of a dental emergency, but they can be surprisingly common and it’s a good idea to be prepared for what to do should you find yourself in a situation where you need urgent care from your dentist. Here are a few of the most common dental emergencies and what you should do immediately until you are able to see the dentist:
Broken, Chipped, Cracked, Loose Tooth, or Lost Filling
Rinse your mouth with warm water, gently floss between your teeth, and apply a cold compress to your cheek. If the tooth is loose, try to gently realign it as best you can, but don’t force it. If there is any bleeding, apply gauze until the bleeding stops. If a piece has broken off, rinse it carefully and bring it to your dentist appointment. In the case of broken teeth or lost fillings, you can use wax, sugarless gum, or dental cement to plug the hole temporarily. Take ibuprofen rather than aspirin to help with any pain you may experience.
Lost Tooth
This is one of the most time sensitive dental emergencies, and it’s best to get to the dentist as soon as possible since a dislodged tooth has the best chance of surviving if it is replaced within an hour. When you lose a tooth, be sure to avoid touching the root as this can damage the fragile cells that need to remain intact in order for the tooth to reattach properly. Don’t remove any soft tissue that may have come out with it. Try to gently replace the tooth in its socket, making sure not to force it and not to place it in facing the wrong way. If this is not possible, the tooth needs to remain moist. Although there are tooth preservation solutions available, it’s likely that you won’t have any on hand in an emergency so storing it in a cup of milk or salt water is usually adequate. If neither of these is available, you can gently place the tooth between your cheek and gum until you can either access water or get to the dentist.
Toothache or Abscess
Sometimes it’s not easy to tell if the pain you are experiencing is either a toothache or an abscess — an acute infection in the pulp and root of the tooth due to severe decay. If the pain is mild to moderate, it’s probably just a cavity, in which case you can rinse your mouth, apply a cold compress, and take some ibuprofen to tide over until you can see the dentist. An abscess, on the other hand, is a true dental emergency as the infection can spread to other teeth as well as gum tissue. If you are in constant severe pain, it is very possible that you have an abscess and you may notice swelling in your gums. Abscesses are filled with pus and debris, and if left untreated, the infection can spread into your bloodstream and to other parts of your body. If you suspect you have an abscess, rinse your mouth with salt water to ease the swelling and pus, and take some ibuprofen for the pain.
The most important course of action in any dental emergency is to call the dentist immediately so they can see you as soon as possible. Apple Springs Family Dentistry offers emergency care, and we reserve openings in our daily schedule to ensure that you can be seen promptly if you experience an emergency.
