How to be Prepared for Dental Emergencies

How to be Prepared for Dental Emergencies

Dental emergencies can be tricky to handle, especially because these type of emergencies are not something that you can prepare for and can cause you a lot of pain and discomfort. In most cases, you will need to take care of the issue quickly so that it does not cause more problems in the future. If you ignore dental emergencies, you can easily even lose a tooth as a result.

Some of the most common dental emergencies that you may encounter include:

A Toothache

If you are experiencing a painful toothache, there is most likely something that needs professional help to take care of the pain. The underlying issue could be anything from an infection to an exposed root. To help ease the pain, you can rinse your mouth with warm water to remove any food particles that may be caught in or between your teeth.

A Broken Tooth

Cracked or broken teeth can cause a lot of discomfort, so if you find that your tooth is damaged, you can take some pain medication to help reduce the pain and use ice to reduce any swelling that you may be experiencing.

A Knocked Out Tooth

If you lose a tooth, you will need to make sure that you save the tooth. You should rinse off the tooth to make sure that it is clean without scrubbing it so that the root of the tooth does not become damaged in any way. You can then place the tooth back in the socket, hold it in your cheek, or place it in a glass of milk until you get to the dentist. The tooth must remain moist so that it can be saved.

A Broken or Loose Crown

Crowns are not designed to last forever, so if one that is in your mouth becomes damaged or loose in your mouth, you will need to have it repaired immediately. Until you are able to get to the dentist, you can bond the crown to your tooth with a small amount of Vaseline. The crown will stay put in your mouth as long as you do not bite down on it too hard.

A Jaw Injury

If you are having pain in your jaw or you feel like your jaw may be fractured, use ice to help minimize the swelling that you experience. Also, it is best to avoid eating solid food until you can see a dentist so that you do not cause more damage to your jaw.

Broken Braces

If the wire on your braces gets broken, it can easily irritate the inside of your mouth. In fact, it can even puncture your cheek, tongue, or gums, so make sure that you cover the end of the wire with beeswax or something similar until you can see a dentist.

Ways to Prevent Dental Emergencies

Of course, you may be caught unaware when a dental emergency strikes, but there are some things that you can do to help prevent these unexpected accidents and injuries from happening. First, when you play sports, make sure that you always wear a mouth guard so that your teeth are protected from sudden blunt trauma that could cause them to be cracked or knocked out of your mouth. Do not chew on hard candy because this is one of the top causes of cracked teeth. Instead, make sure to suck on the candy until it is a small size that will not cause damage to your teeth.

Never use your teeth to remove a tag or cut things when you can easily use scissors. This causes stress on your teeth, and can even damage them, especially if you use your teeth often for this type of thing. That being said, even when you take precautions, dental emergencies can occur that need to be attended to immediately. Always keep our number, which is (310) 201-9001, programmed in your phone so that you can quickly call us if you need emergency dental care. We are open 24/7, so you will never have to wait until morning for relief when you or a loved one are in pain.

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