Preventing Tooth Decay To Maintain Healthy Teeth

Dental Emergencies: How To Handle Them When Away From Home

When a dental emergency occurs, it is usually best to find your way to a dentist as soon as possible. If the incident occurs after hours, you will want to try to find a 24-hour dentist if possible. If not, you will need to visit an emergency room. Because accidents can happen at any time, it is always a good idea to be as prepared as you can be for them. Here are three of the most common dental emergencies that you may find yourself face-to-face with and how you can handle them when you are away from home:

Toothache

A toothache may not necessarily be an emergency, but the pain sure can make it feel like one. The first thing you need to do is clean the area around the affected tooth thoroughly. Start by rinsing your mouth out with warm salt water and then use dental floss to dislodge any food that has potentially become trapped between your teeth and gums. If your face and gums are swollen, use a cold compress. You can use over-the-counter pain relievers, such as Tylenol, for pain. If the pain persists, schedule an appointment with a dentist as soon as possible.

Knocked-Out Tooth

Whether you've gotten into a fight, suffered a sports injury or something else entirely and have had a permanent tooth knocked out of your mouth, time is of the essence. You need to find your tooth immediately. You want to grab hold of the tooth by the crown of it and not the root. You can rinse it to rinse any dirt off of it, but you don't want to go any further than that. If possible, place the tooth back in its socket. Use a piece of cloth or clean gauze to hold the tooth in place. If the tooth cannot be reinserted back into the socket, you will want to put it into a cup of milk and get to an emergency dentist immediately. The sooner you can get to a dentist, the better the chances of being able to save the tooth.

Fallen Off Dental Crown

If your dental crown comes off and you are able to save the crown, you may be able to reattach it. First, rinse the inside of the crown with water. Then, use some dental cement to coat the inside of the crown and then simply slide it back on top of the tooth. You can purchase the cement from a local pharmacy. If you're unable to find dental cement, you can use some denture adhesive. Keep in mind these are not permanent solutions and are only meant to be temporary until you can get in to see a dentist like Milan Simanek DDS .


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