Oral Health Crisis? Your Emergency Dentist Tells You What to Do

Any dental emergency like an injury to the teeth or gums can be potentially serious and should not be ignored. Ignoring a dental problem can increase the risk of permanent damage as well as the need for more extensive and expensive treatment later on. You can handle an emergency till you reach the clinic or ER.

Evaluate the Situation — Is It Really an Emergency?

The first and foremost thing to do is to understand what a dental emergency is. Some of the dental emergencies are:

• Knocked out tooth
• Bleeding from gums
• Broken tooth
• Lost implant or crown
• Pain in teeth or gums
• Broken jaw or jaw pain
• Soft tissue injury
• Loosened tooth

How to Handle a Dental Emergency?

Whenever, you have a dental emergency visit the local emergency room or your dentist. But there are some of the things that you can do till you reach a clinic.

• Rinse your mouth with warm salt water. Avoid placing aspirin on the gums or tooth, as this may cause a burn.
• Take over the counter painkillers.
• Don’t panic and call you family dentist right away to get guidance to handle the emergency.
• In case of knocked out tooth or lost tooth, recover the lost tooth and clean it and preserve it in milk or saliva.
• If your tooth is pushed inward or outward, try to reposition it using the tip of your finger to apply very light pressure.
• Come into the dentist’s office right away.
• In case of Jaw pain or injury make sure to ice your face to prevent swelling, and don’t eat solid food until you’ve seen your dentist.
• Care for your mouth at home and visit your dentist within a few days if the emergency is in control.

Dental emergencies can be frightening, but you don’t have to let one get the best of you. Stay calm and rely on your dentist to help you through the situation. Hopefully, it won’t be long before your smile is back to 100 percent!

Also maintain a very good oral hygiene to avoid dental problems.