Tips on How to Deal with the Dental Emergencies
Many dentists spend most of their time treating and curing patients of oral problems. From premature tooth loss to severe dental decay, there is always a patient walking into a dental facility with an underlying dental problem.
Unfortunately, many patients only visit dentists for dental emergencies. Even parents are guilty of overlooking the oral health of their children until there is a dental emergency that requires urgent care at Kids First Dental Roanoke.
What Are Dental Emergencies?
They are oral illnesses and conditions that are alarming because of their heightened level of severity and their sense of urgency. Dental emergencies can happen to anyone, including children, which is why we have emergency pediatric dentists in Roanoke, 24018, working around the clock to cater to the dental emergencies of children.
All dental emergencies happen abruptly, so that that there is little to no preparation on the patient’s part. This is why you must determine to have a contact of a dentist in a dental emergency near you. The sooner you get treatment, the safer your oral health is. Besides, the last thing you want is for dental emergencies to completely sabotage your oral health by causing permanent damage thereof.
Tips for Handling Dental Emergencies
While you figure out what to do before you make your way to a dental urgent dental care clinic near you, be sure to contact a dentist. When a dentist is aware of your dental emergency, then you can rest assured that you will receive the necessary treatment. Meanwhile, consider the following tips as valuable during your urgent dental problem:
- Use a cloth or cotton swab to control bleeding – this is especially important if the cause of the bleeding is a traumatic injury. Place pressure on the bleeding site in your mouth to slow down the bleeding. This will encourage the formation of a blood clot at the area of injury, reducing bleeding as you get to an emergency dental clinic.
- Cold compress – get a pack of ice and wrap it in a cloth to use for compression. Lightly place it on the area of your mouth that is swollen or painful. Cold compressing helps alleviate pain and also reduces swelling.
- Find and preserve the missing tooth – if your oral emergency has to do with a missing tooth, be sure to find it before you even start thinking about where to go for dental emergency treatment. If you find the tooth, you have a better chance of having it restored when you get to a dental emergency room. When you find the tooth, rinse it with salty water and put it in a container. Soak it in milk as you make your way to a dental facility near you. Avoid touching the root part of the tooth, as this can spread bacteria on it, causing infections.
- Use dental floss to dislodge foreign items between teeth. There is an underlying temptation to use sharp objects to poke in between your teeth to remove any objects stuck thereof. However, resist the temptation to do so, as sharpies can damage your teeth and hurt your gums. Instead, use dental floss as you try to dislodge the stuck objects. If this doesn’t work, wait until you get to a dental office to have to object removed.
- Use over-the-counter medication – features pain relievers and anti-inflammatory drugs. They can help alleviate your pain and discomfort before you get to Dr. Cristelle Rodriguez for treatment. This works great even for allergic reactions that cause significant swelling in your mouth and other body parts.
- Use a warm-water rinse – rinsing your mouth with warm water helps get rid of any loose debris in your mouth, excess blood, and even broken pieces of your teeth. The warm water will help freshen your mouth without causing more pain or discomfort.
- Sugarless gum or dental cement for filling – if you have lost your tooth filling, you need to cover the hole on your tooth as soon as possible. Leaving it open deteriorates the health of your tooth by allowing bacteria in your mouth to get into the insides of your tooth. In that case, use sugarless gum to temporarily fill the tooth as you make your way to the dentist. Over-the-counter dental cement also works the same way.