A dental emergency can happen anywhere at any time and if you have one you know how frightful and disturbing it can be. From toothache to the broken crown, you should not ignore these issues. It is extremely important for everyone to know what should be done if a dental emergency happens. If you have a dental emergency, don’t panic, it’s crucial for you to keep yourself calm and examine your situation. Hereafter, call your dentist as soon as you can. Here are some tips to follow when you have a dental emergency.
1. Broken or Chipped Tooth:
There are various reasons why your tooth broke or cracked. The reason can be eating hard foods, getting hit in the mouth while playing a sport or from an accident. The nerve of the tooth may be exposed resulting in pain and distress, no matter how the tooth breaks or chipped. A cracked tooth is hypersensitive to temperature particularly cold. Call your dentist at the earliest for quick treatment. Else, your tooth can be damaged more or can be infected. Meanwhile, rinse your mouth with warm water and try to keep it clean.
2. Knocked out tooth:
Also, refer as “avulsed” tooth by Dentists, a knocked-out tooth can be very painful as well as terrifying. If treated quickly, you can actually save your loose teeth by re-implanting. When a tooth is knocked out, it damages the nerves, blood vessels, and supporting tissues too which requires immediate treatment from the dentist. Moreover, the nerves and blood vessels can’t be fixed and that’s the reason you’ll need a root canal. Therefore, it’s very important to visit the dentist as early as possible after a tooth has been knocked out. Try to prevent damaging the tooth even more by following these instructions.
● Pick up the tooth carefully and avoid touching the root. Instead, hold it with the crown part. Touching the root can damage the tissue that helps with reimplantation.
● Rinse with milk or water gently. Don’t wipe it off with a cloth.
● Keep the tooth moist. Drop it in a glass of milk or place it in your mouth, between the cheek and gum.
3. Cut in the Mouth:
Also called as a soft tissue laceration, cut in the mouth is a most common issue. It can be caused by various things such as biting your cheek, by trauma, or through dental procedures. Some mouth cuts require minimal treatment while others are serious and needed emergency care. If the cut is delicate, rinse your mouth with ice water. It will help in reducing swelling and pain. If the cut is little deeper, you can press a piece of sterile gauze against the wound till the bleeding stops with washed hands. Contact your dentist for further treatment.
4. Toothache:
A toothache can occur by tooth decay, gum disease, a cavity, etc. If you have a toothache, rinse your mouth with salt water, you also use a cold compress to relieve pain. If your toothache is serious or needs more medical treatment, see a dentist.
5. Jaw Fracture and Dislocation:
Jaw fracture and dislocation make cause due to accidents and is considered to be extremely serious dental emergencies. It can sometimes be overlooked and missed as a diagnosis. Severe injuries may require medical treatment.