Not every dental mishap you experience will require that you see your dentist right away. Sometimes you can sustain minor injuries that can resolve themselves. However, certain dental situations will require medical attention immediately.
A dental emergency is any trauma that occurs to your mouth that results in significant damage to your gums or teeth. Seeing a dentist as soon as possible after sustaining such trauma is essential to preventing the injury from progressing into more significant dental problems. Here are some situations for which you should seek immediate dental assistance:
Severely Painful Toothache
A tooth that aches so severely that the pain affects your ability to function properly can have many causes and should be closely examined by a dentist as soon as possible. In the meantime, you can try to alleviate the painful sensation by swishing warm water around your mouth and placing a cold compress against your face for 30 minutes to reduce any swelling. Afterward, you should begin alternating warm and cold compresses against the outside of your mouth. Avoid placing any pain medication directly against the gum area. This can result in the inflammation of your gums and will most likely contribute to more damage to the already affected tooth.
Loss of a Filling
If your filing is in multiple pieces, make sure that you remove all portions of the filling from your mouth to avoid accidentally ingesting them and then thoroughly rinse your cavity with warm water. If you have a dental filling product on hand, take a sufficient amount and press it into the cavity.
Loss of a Crown or Cap
A tooth that is missing a crown or cap can begin to cause extremely painful sensitivity, particularly if the exposed area comes in contact with food or drink. Covering the sensitive area with a temporary cap or dental wax can suffice until you can see your dentist.
Broken or Chipped Teeth
If possible, you should save the chipped portion of the tooth. After rinsing your mouth and the chipped tooth with warm water, stop any bleeding by applying heavily packed and sterile cotton or gauze to the area for about five minutes. To reduce swelling, apply a cold pack or compress to the outside of your mouth.
Tooth Dislodge Completely from Your Mouth
In most cases, a permanent tooth can be saved if you properly handle the tooth and act very quickly. If an entire tooth has been fully dislodged from your mouth, store the tooth in a small container that is filled with fresh, cold milk or lightly salted water, both of which can serve as temporary preservatives for the displaced tooth. To staunch bleeding, dampen a sterile piece of gauze with cold water and apply pressure to the tooth site. Try to get medical attention within an hour so that the tooth will have the highest chances of survival.
If you are experiencing any of these dental emergencies, don’t hesitate to contact a dentist. You can call us at GBP Dental as soon as possible to receive the emergency dental treatment your situation requires.