A dental emergency can feel terrifying and emotionally exhausting. You may be experiencing a painful toothache that wasn’t present just a moment before, or maybe you have a chipped tooth from a sporting event, or you lost a tooth in a car accident. While we feel your priority should be getting to the dentist as quickly as possible (and if you have blood or swelling, or an incredible amount pain, remember those are all great reasons to get to a dentist quickly), the right activity in those first couple of minutes can not only reduce your immediate pain and minimize the chance of future injury it might also save a tooth that may have otherwise been lost.
A Step-by-Step Guide for Common Dental Emergencies
Always call your dentist to start any dental emergency. They can give you specific directions and will start preparing for your arrival. The following points are temporary first aid that can be done until you can get professional treatment.
When a Tooth Has Been Knocked Out
- Please be quick! The tooth can only be saved usually within one hour, and the quicker you act, the better your chances are of saving the tooth.
- Handle the Tooth by the Crown: When you find the adult tooth, you want to pick it up by the crown (the white chewing part) and not the root. Touching the root can damage the necessary cells you need to reattach.
- If the tooth is dirty, gently rinse or wash the tooth: You can rinse the tooth with milk or a gentle stream of cold water. Do not use soap, and make sure you do not scrub or wipe the tooth for cleaning. If rinsing, rinse the tooth for no more than 10 seconds.
- If you can reinsert the tooth, you will need to try and gently push the tooth back into the proper spot. You can hold the tooth in the right place by biting down gently with a clean cloth or gauze.
If the Tooth is Chipped, Cracked or Broken: Your Guide to Broken Tooth Emergency Care
- Rinse Right Away: Rinsing the area with warm salt water can act as a temporary solution.
- Control Bleeding: If you are bleeding, trauma may have caused bleeding, so place a clean piece of gauze or cloth over the bleeding area and apply pressure to the area for 10-15 minutes or until the bleeding stops.
- Reduce Swelling: Use a cold gel pack or a regular ice pack on the outside of your cheek and/or lip over the area to help reduce swelling and to numb the area from discomfort.
- Save the pieces: If you can find the broken pieces, keep the piece and take it with you to your dentist.
For Toothache of a Painful Nature: The Toothache Emergency Tips
- Please keep it clean: Swish warm salt water in your mouth. This may break loose debris stuck between your teeth.
- Gently floss. When flossing, gently rock the floss around the tooth to remove the debris.
- Cold compress. If you have swelling or discomfort in your face, you may put a cold compress on the outside of your cheek for dental pain relief before dentist.
- Do not put medications on your gums. This also includes not placing aspirin or other pain medications on your gums or mouth, not even directly on the ‘painful tooth’. Pain medications can burn the tissue of your gums. If able, use an over-the-counter pain reliever, ibuprofen, as directed.
Conclusion
No matter what you are experiencing, there are three basic rules to follow, and you want to remain as calm as possible, act quickly, and call your dentist as soon as possible to obtain help via the telephone or in the office. You should continue to keep the details of your dentist’s emergency contact information prominently displayed and accessible. Your fastest actions at home and their professional care in their office provide you with the best lines of defence to minimise the risk of compromising your smile in an emergency.
Don’t face a dental emergency alone. Reach out to your urgent dental help Officer. The Officer Dental Care is here to provide fast, compassionate help.