What to Do During a Dental Emergency?
There are many kinds of dental emergencies that you can face every day. Ranging from easily manageable problems such as minor tooth fractures to severe situations such as completely removed teeth and dental traumas, knowing what to do can greatly affect the outcome of the situation.
The best management and treatment can be rendered by an emergency dentist, but providing the appropriate first aid measures can help with making the situation better.
Here are some common dental emergencies and what you can do to relieve pain or discomfort until you are able to reach an emergency dentist Hornsby:
Toothache
Severe toothaches can be extremely overwhelming at whatever time of day. May it be in the middle of the day whilst at work or during the night whilst you are sleeping, toothaches need immediate action so the patient can go about their day.
Advise the patient to directly put cold compress against the cheek if inflammation is present. Also, gargle with a mild salt solution to disinfect the area and kill bacteria.
Usually, a toothache caused by lodged food debris between teeth can immediately be treated by gentle removal of the debris using a floss. Otherwise, long-standing toothaches should be treated by a dentist near me, may it be a dental filling or root canal therapy.
Fractured or Cracked Tooth
Tooth fractures should always be assessed first by your Hornsby dentist to identify its severity. For minor cases, advise the patient to disinfect the area by gargling with a mild salt solution.
Cold compress should also be directly applied if there are inflamed soft tissues. If there is pain, consider taking over-the-counter painkillers but always with the advice of your dentist Hornsby.
Completely Removed Tooth
Reinsertion of the removed tooth back in the socket is the ideal first aid. But not without rinsing off debris to prevent infection.
This is tricky as there are certain structures that should not be removed. These are vital to allow your emergency dentist Sydney to successfully preserve the tooth.
If unsure on how to do it or if reinsertion is not possible, soak the tooth in milk until you are able to visit an emergency dental care facility.
