A dental emergency can come anytime, anywhere and in many forms. If you find yourself in an emergency situation, the most important thing to do is to stay calm and get to a dentist as soon as possible. The sooner you act and get treatment, the more likely you are to have a smooth recovery. But what is the best emergency dental care? Let us explain.
What is considered a dental emergency?
Knocked out tooth
A tooth that comes out from a strong impact while playing sports or from falling over for example, needs immediate, professional dental care. You generally have about 30-60 minutes to save the natural tooth before the success rate decreases. Here’s our tips which can help save your tooth if you can locate it.
Stay calm, and contact your dentist asap. If you found your knocked out tooth, only hold it by its crown (the top which chews food). Only rinse the tooth in water. Do not intentionally rub or agitate it and never use any chemicals such as soap or detergent on it. If there’s bits of tissue on the tooth, do not remove them. If you have rinsed it and is safe/possible to, the best way to preserve the tooth is to hold it in the socket it came from. Do not try if you can’t, shoving a dirty tooth back in its hole can contribute to gum disease. If you can’t, keep the tooth in a container of milk or your saliva. Rinse your mouth with lukewarm water, especially if there’s bleeding in the mouth, and apply a cold compress to your face where it’s injured. Try to do these on your way to the dentist. Once you arrive, they can take care of the rest.
Sudden cracks, chips and breaks in your teeth
Your teeth may crack at some point from biting into hard foods such as candy, ice or even pork crackling. Small chips can usually be fixed with a filling, while larger chunks may need to be covered with a dental crown. 9 out of 10 times your tooth can be restored to how it looked before the accident. Keep in mind that fillings may weaken the tooth and cause pain and could end up needing a full extraction. Talk with your dentist about the best course of action, especially for a broken tooth.
When should you call the dentist?
Of course, once you start feeling discomfort and pain in an area, you should contact your dentist and plan a visit. Toothache pain and tooth abscess are often from preexisting issues that are only noticed from pain. Your trusty dentist can diagnose the issue and recommend the best course of action to take. Early detection can prevent a lot of pain later on, and save you lots of time and money. We recommend having a tooth checkup twice a year with Cosmic Smile, to identify and resolve complications before emergency dentistry is needed.
