Summertime brings lots of enjoyment of outdoor activities, vacations, and family time, but what happens if your fun is interrupted by a dental emergency?
Knowing how to react to a dental emergency can hopefully keep you from losing a tooth.
In the event of any dental accident or trauma, you should make a visit to your dentist immediately. Simply contact our office and we will work you into our schedule as an emergency patient.
The following are common tooth emergencies that you may experience at some point:
Toothache
If a tooth suddenly begins hurting, rinse your mouth with warm water to clean any irritants off of the tooth, and use dental floss to gently remove any debris from between the teeth. Take an over the counter pain reliever and schedule an appointment as soon as possible to have the tooth examined to find the cause of the pain.
Cracked Tooth
If a tooth becomes cracked, rinse the area clean with warm water. If you are experiencing pain or swelling, hold an ice pack on your cheek. Get to a dentist as soon as possible to evaluate the crack and prevent further spreading or worse pain.
Knocked Out Tooth
It is important for a tooth that has been knocked out of the mouth to be kept moist and get to the dentist as soon as possible. In the meantime, try to place the tooth back into its socket without touching the root. If you cannot do this, keep the tooth moist by holding it between your cheek and gums; or place in a cup of milk. Go to your dentist as soon as possible.
Of course, while accidents do happen, there are special precautions that you can take to try to avoid dental emergencies at all costs. When participating in sports or physical activity, use a mouthguard to protect your teeth from impact. Do not bite down or chew on hard food items like ice, unpopped popcorn kernels, or hard candy – these can crack your teeth. Additionally, do not use your teeth to open, cut, or break into anything like packaging or bottles.
Please call our dentists at 757-340-8805 for a dental emergency or any other dental needs.