You’re going through your day, humming along, when all of a sudden, you find yourself thrust into a dental trauma. You have a painful toothache that needs immediate attention, but do you know what to do? Your emergency dentist in Attleboro is weighing in with some helpful tips that will ease some of your discomfort and allow you to return to normal in a shorter period of time.
What’s Classified as a Dental Emergency?
Any situation that results in an abrupt change in the health of your mouth, teeth or gums, and requires immediate attention, can be classified as a dental emergency. In these unfortunate situations, here’s what you should do first:
- Calm Yourself – It’s important to not panic when an emergency happens. This is because time is of the essence. Thus, your decisions need to be thought out and purposeful. So take a deep breath and then execute.
- Contact Your Dentist – After you’ve calmed yourself, reach out to your dentist’s office and let the staff know what’s going on, so they can walk you through the next steps.
If This Happens, It’s an Emergency
The following are some of the more common types of dental emergencies that occur:
- Toothache – The usual cause of a toothache is severe infection from bacteria that have accumulated over time. To get some relief, you can apply an icepack to the side of your face and take ibuprofen for the pain.
- Dislodged Tooth – A common cause of dislodged teeth is direct impact to the mouth. If this happens, you should grab the tooth by the crown (the rounded portion) and store it in either water or milk until it can be reinserted. Be mindful, though, that you’ve got roughly two hours to have the procedure done.
- Chipped or Broken Tooth – Sudden impact can also lead to a chipped or broken tooth. Other contributors can be eating foods that are too hard or biting down on objects that aren’t intended to be placed in your mouth. For example, using your teeth to open a bottle could lead to a chip or break. If this happens, you should reach out to your dentist immediately, and be sure to not chew on that side of your mouth.
- Something Stuck in Teeth – It’s easy, when eating something tasty, to get a little carried away and become a careless. The danger is that you can get food lodged between your teeth. If this happens, you can try to carefully floss and rinse your mouth with a wash to remove the item.
Dental emergencies are no fun at all, but if one arises, it helps to know what to do and where to get help. Thus, you shouldn’t hesitate to contact your local dentist to receive expedited care.
About the Author
A graduate of the University of Maryland’s School of Dentistry, Dr. William Herr is passionate about every aspect of the field of oral care. Thus, he continues to pursue more knowledge by taking continuing education courses each year, and his efforts translate into better care for his patients at Capron Park Dental. Dr. Herr can be reached for more information through his website.