Any dental emergency like an injury to the teeth or gums might be potentially serious and should not be overlooked. Avoiding an oral health problem might boost the risk of enduring damage as well as the need for added extensive and expensive treatments down the road.
Here's certain dental emergencies and the ways to effectively deal with them:
Severe tooth pains - The first step is to rinse your oral cavity quite thoroughly with warm water. Afterward use dental floss to eliminate any foods that may be trapped in-between your teeth. If there is any swelling, apply wrapped ice or a cold compress to the outer surface of your cheek or oral cavity. Refrain from placing any pain killers like aspirin against the gums of an aching tooth as they may burn the gum tissues.
Cracked, chipped or broken teeth - Make an effort to put aside any damaged pieces. Wash carefully the left over fragments and your mouth with warm water. If there's bleeding, put on a piece of gauze to the site for approximately 10 minutes or until the bleeding stops. Put on a cold compress to the outside of the mouth, cheek, or lip close by the broken/chipped tooth to keep any inflammation down and relieve pain.
Knocked-out tooth - If you still have the tooth, grasp it by the crown (top of the tooth), and wash the tooth very gently in water to get rid of dirt and debris. Be sure you do not scrub off or detach any of the attached tissue fragments. If at all feasible, put the tooth back into the socket, but be sure it is facing the right way. Do not force it back into the socket however. If you can't place the tooth back into its socket, place the tooth in a cup of milk (if you have no milk, use water with a pinch of salt). Visit your oral health care provider as soon as possible. Teeth that have been knocked out have a better opportunity to be saved if returned to their socket and seen by a oral health care professional within one hour of being dislodged.
Extruded (partially dislodged) tooth - See your dental clinician right away. Until you reach your oral health doctor's facility, to sooth pain, apply a cold compress to the outer surface of the mouth or cheek in the affected site. Take an over-the-counter pain reliever such as Tylenol or Advil, if needed.
Objects fixed between teeth - Gently, try using floss to carefully remove the object. If you are unable to get rid of the object, see your oral health care professional. Keep in mind, never to use incisive objects like pins to poke at the lodged object as these devices can cut the tissues of the gums or scratch up the exterior of the tooth.
Abscess - Tooth abscesses are infections near the root of a tooth or in the spaces connecting the gums and teeth. These can be very severe and can impair the tissues surrounding the infection. If left untreated, the infection can spread to other regions of the body.
Tooth abscesses might present some significant dental issues as well as general health issues. You should go to see your oral health doctor right away if you notice a painful pimple-like growth on your gums. While you are waiting to see your oral health care provider you can methodically wash your mouth out with salt water solution several times a day. This should alleviate some of the pains whilst bringing the pus towards the exterior.
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Dr. Don Utas received his Dental degree from the University of Saskatchewan 18 years ago and bought Meadowbrook Dental in Chilliwack a year later. As a lifelong learner, he has earned a Diploma of Technology at BCIT and a Bachelor of Education at Simon Fraser University and worked as a Park Ranger and a high school teacher before devoting his life to helping people through dentistry.
