Five Dental Emergencies and How to Handle Them
Dental emergencies are potentially life-threatening, and they require immediate treatment to prevent further dental and health complications. Mouth emergencies are injuries and bruises that affect the teeth, gums, or soft tissues.
Knowing how to differentiate between urgent and non-urgent dental emergencies can save time and energy. Below are five of the common urgent mouth emergencies and how you can handle them.
- Knocked teeth
Our teeth are designed to last, but sometimes they may get partially or entirely knocked out because of a fall or accident. Avulsed teeth are a common occurrence, but should be treated with haste. Your teeth can be saved if treatment is started early.
Visit a dentist near you within the first 45 minutes after an accident occurs.
Sometimes, a dental accident can occur during the weekend. Fortunately, our dentist is open on Saturday to assist you. As you wait for treatment, here are a few things to do to increase your chances of saving the teeth.
- Locate and pick the knocked-out teeth by the chewing surface. Avoid touching the roots to avoid damaging the tissues. Place the teeth in milk solution to preserve it.
- If your teeth are partially knocked out, try to place them back to the socket.
- Use warm water to remove dirt in your mouth. Do not scrub your teeth or use chemicals as it may damage your teeth.
If it is the baby teeth that are knocked out, do not push them back to the socket as it may impair the gums.
- Tooth Fracture
Though strong, the enamel can get fractured because of a fall or direct impact to the mouth. A tooth fracture can be minor or severe.
Small teeth fracture can be handled with home remedies and do not require urgent dental treatment (although you will still need to visit the dentist for assessment).
Severe dental fractures can extend to the roots and require emergency dental treatment. You may also experience tooth sensitivity. Without proper treatment, your teeth can begin to die.
Visit a Saturday dentist near you for treatment if the fracture extends to the roots.
- Remove broken pieces by rinsing your mouth.
- Control the bleeding with a gauze pad
- Reduce swelling using an ice pack
- Toothache
Tooth pain is a common symptom of dental trauma. In most cases, the pain is mild and clears on its own. However, if you have an irritated nerve, infection, decay, or injury, you may experience a severe toothache. It is vital to visit a dentist for assessment and treatment. In the meantime, you can reduce the pain by:
- Remove any stuck food particles by flossing
- Stop any swelling using a cold compress
- Do not take pain medication unless directed by the dentist because some of the medication may cause gum inflammation.
- Dental abscess
An infection, decay or cavity cause a tooth abscess (a pocket of pus). It causes moderate to severe pain that spreads to the ear and neck. Sometimes the bacterial infection damages the surrounding tissues and may make its way to the bloodstream. An abscess can be life-threatening if not treated on time.
As you wait for treatment, you can ease the pain by rinsing the mouth with mildly warm salt water.
- Soft tissue bruising and injuries
Soft tissues found in the mouth, tongue, lips, gums, and cheeks can, at times, can get bruised, causing bleeding. You can use a gauze pad to stop the bleeding as you make your way to the dentist.
What Are Non-Urgent Dental Emergencies?
Non-urgent dental accidents also need treatment, but they can wait for a few days. Some of them include:
- A lost or broken filling, crown, or bridges can be managed at home. But, if you have severe tooth sensitivity from a broken dental bridge, seek dental treatment immediately.
- Minor broken or cracked teeth
- Dull toothache
Take Action
Since dental emergencies occur at any time, it is important to know how to handle them. But, most importantly, seeking urgent treatment can help save your teeth. Visit Dental Arts Rego Park for more information on our Emergency dentistry in Jackson Heights, NY.