How to Handle a Dental Emergency

 

Emergency Tooth Extraction in Santa Clarita

Toothaches and broken or chipped teeth can be a nuisance. At times, the pain is bearable, and sometimes it gets so intense that it keeps you up at night. Other dental emergencies include a misplaced or dislodged dental crown or some other piece of dental work coming loose. Those in Santa Clarita, who need an emergency dentist, should check out Copperhill Smiles as they can help with smile restoration.

Dental emergencies happen when one least expects them to. Your child might break a tooth while playing football, or you might suddenly need a crown replacement. In all such cases, it’s better to be safe than sorry, and delaying treatment means further complications. For those who aren’t sure of what to do during a dental emergency, here’s a guide with some top tips on how to handle dental emergencies.

Dislodged Teeth

Dislodged Teeth

 A partially or fully dislodged tooth can be pretty painful. A dislodged tooth can cause further harm, so it’s always better to call the emergency dentist and book an appointment as soon as possible. While waiting to see the dentist, there’re some precautionary measures that a patient can take to ensure that the problem doesn’t worsen.

A patient shouldn’t use their tongue to push back the tooth or manipulate it in any other way, as this causes more harm than good. Instead, one can use ice compression. If that doesn’t work as well, then opt for over-the-counter pain killers.      

Broken or Chipped Teeth

Chipped teeth

A broken tooth can get pretty painful once food particles and anything else you put in your mouth starts getting stuck on or in it. If your tooth accidentally breaks or chips, try to collect and save all the broken fragments, rinse the mouth, and put the pieces of the damaged tooth in lukewarm water to preserve them. If the break causes excessive bleeding, it’s always better to apply a bit of cotton or medical gauze to the wound to stop the bleeding. After that, contact Copperhill Smiles to fix the broken tooth and avoid all such emergencies.

Broken Braces and Dental Wires

Braces

In some situations, the wires of the temporary dental implants and braces tend to break and poke the surrounding tissue and gums. When this happens, it’s always better to adjust the wire as much as possible in a more comfortable position. Though sometimes, it isn’t likely to reposition the wire ourselves, and emergency dental services are required. Until the emergency dentist calls you in, it’s better to stick a piece of cotton on the naked wires.

A word of precaution, one should never try to cut that piece of wire as they might accidentally swallow it.  

Then there’re situations where a metal piece from the braces can fall out. In this case, take it out carefully and avoid swallowing it. Loose metal from the braces can hurt your mouth and cause it to get infected. This is why it’s advisable to visit an emergency dentist in Santa Clarita for dental repairs in this case.

Abscesses

An abscess is an infection at the base of the teeth, between two teeth, or on the gums. It can spread quickly if not managed on time and can cause severe damage to the nearby teeth to gum tissue, and the pain caused is unbearable. It’s advisable to visit an emergency dentist as soon as possible when an abscess is discovered or when one feels or experiences swelling in their gums. If left untreated, it might spread to other parts of the body.

Apart from these specific dental emergencies and their handling methods, some other generalized dental emergency handling methods are as follows;

Keep a Dental Emergency Kit On Hand

Apart from a First-Aid kit, you should also keep an emergency kit for dental emergencies. It can provide you with some relief till your dentist’s appointment. An emergency dental kit should include gauze, oral gel, pain relievers, toothbrush, paste, ice pack, and dental floss at a minimum.

Add all these items to the emergency kit and label them accordingly so that someone with no knowledge about dental products can quickly get their hands on what they need in case of a dental emergency. Apart from keeping a dental emergency kit at home, you should keep one in the car. However, it’s always recommended to visit the dentist regularly so that dental issues and problems are diagnosed early, and some preventable dental emergencies can be avoided.

Stay Calm and Collected

When faced with a dental emergency, there are some steps that a patient can take before getting emergency dental services. Should the patient or their loved one knock out an adult tooth, they shouldn’t misplace it. Instead, they should pick it up, rinse it off, and try reinserting it back in the tooth socket. If that isn’t possible, they should put the teeth in a glass of milk or a tooth preservation product, if that’s available at home. Though a word of caution, only use that preservation product with an ADA Seal of Acceptance.

After this, visit the emergency dentist straight away.

In cases where there’s severe bleeding in the teeth or the gums, try to hold gauze or a clean cloth over the bleeding area for at least fifteen minutes till the bleeding subsides.       

Call an Emergency Dentist in Santa Clarita Straight Away

Copperhill Smiles is a family-friendly dentistry clinic in Santa Clarita that deals in cosmetic dental treatments and general & emergency dentistry, amongst others. If you or a loved one is dealing with a dental emergency, get in touch with Copperhill Smiles immediately.