When you experience a dental emergency, the pain and shock can sometime make it hard to know what to do or where to turn. At Parkside Dental Care, our high tech facility is equipped to handle most types of dental emergencies, and we have dentists on call around the clock. If you experience a dental emergency, there are steps you can take to diminish pain and ensure a better outcome. Let’s take a look at three of the most common types of dental emergencies and what you can do in each situation.
1) Tooth Ache
A severe tooth ache is one of the most common dental emergencies that people experience, and often the patient can’t identify the cause of the pain. It might be accompanied by inflamed gums or pimple like bumps on the gums, pain from hot or cold food or drinks or it might be a persistent toothache with no other symptoms.
Typically, this kind of tooth pain is caused by an untreated cavity that has spread infection into the blood vessels and nerves inside the tooth. There are some things you can do to help yourself before you get to meet with the dentist. First, avoid biting down on the affected side of your mouth, and avoid hot or cold foods and beverages. Unless you have a condition that prevents it, take some ibuprofen. Don’t put off treatment. Call our office right away before the pain worsens.
2) Broken Tooth
Teeth can break for a number of reasons, but common causes include biting down on hard food items, trauma during an accident, or because of a weakness in the tooth caused by a cavity. Whatever the case, if you lose part of your tooth, avoid biting on that side of the mouth until you can get in to see one of our dentists. Avoid hot and cold food or beverages. It is important to get the broken tooth treated as soon as possible because broken teeth can be more susceptible to infection.
3) Lost Tooth
If a whole tooth gets knocked out, you might be able to preserve it. Locate the tooth immediately and handle it carefully. You don’t want to damage the root. Gently rinse the tooth in water (no soap) and try to reposition it in the socket. If you can get the tooth into the socket, there is a greater chance you will preserve it. If you can’t reposition it, keep the tooth moist in your mouth or in milk and get to the dentist right away.
These are just a few helpful tips for what to do when you experience common dental emergencies. By following this advice, you might be able to diminish your pain and discomfort and improve the end result. Whatever the case, call our office right away, even if it’s after hours. At Parkside Dental, we will do all that we can to help you.