Managing a Dental Emergency Is Not As Difficult As Believed

What would you do if you confronted a dental emergency beyond office hours or on holidays? You may have information that you must contact your dentist for assistance but may not know whether your regular dentist can see you on holiday or in the evening. In such cases, instead of ignoring the dental issue, contacting emergency dentistry services will prove beneficial as it can help alleviate the pain and discomfort you experience.

Whether you are at home or traveling, we offer you some tips to help you manage a dental emergency until you can get to the dentist in Oshawa. It would be helpful to understand that seeing a dentist within 30 minutes means the difference between saving or losing a tooth. However, not every situation is similar, and some allow you sufficient time until you can get in touch with the dentist.

Situations That Need Prompt Attention

Knocked-out Tooth

Among various dental emergencies and knocked out tooth is perhaps the one that needs prompt attention. If you follow appropriate steps immediately after you knock out a tooth, the chances are high that an emergency dentist will reinsert the tooth back into its socket. However, you must follow the tips mentioned below and rush to the dentist as soon as possible.

Please pick up the tooth holding it by the crown without touching the roots.

Clean the tooth by rinsing it in water for under 10 seconds without scrubbing it.

Try to place the tooth back into its socket if possible. However, if you can’t, put it in a cup of milk and begin your journey to the dentist right away. The sooner you reach the dentist, the better your chances are to preserve your natural tooth.

Loose Tooth or Tooth Out Of Alignment

Do you have a loose tooth or one that is out of alignment? Call your dentist immediately for an emergency appointment. In the meanwhile, attempt to put the tooth back into its original position using your finger. You must not apply undue force. To prevent the tooth from moving, you can bite down. The emergency dentist in Oshawa, ON, may recommend splinting the tooth to the neighboring teeth on both sides to stabilize it.

A tooth with Chips, Cracks, and Fracture

If you have a painless chipped tooth, it does not qualify as an emergency, and can wait for a few days until you can see your dentist. However, you must exercise caution by not chewing with the tooth to prevent additional chipping. Your dentist will use composite filling material to smooth the chip out.

A cracked or fractured tooth is an entirely different issue and needs attention from an emergency dentist. You may have incurred damages to the inside and the outside of the tooth when you have cracks and fractures on it. Severe fractures may necessitate tooth extractions. If you have a fractured tooth, contact your dentist for an appointment and follow these tips to maintain your tooth in optimal condition until you reach the dentist’s office.

• Rinse your mouth gently thoroughly with warm water.
• If facial trauma has caused the fracture, use a cold compress on the area to minimize swelling.
• Take over-the-counter painkillers to alleviate pain. Do not apply any painkiller to the gums because it can burn the tissue.

The dentist requires an x-ray to diagnose the condition of your tooth. If you have damaged the tooth pulp, you may need root canal therapy. However, if the damages are not severe, a fracture or crack is protected by a dental crown.

Other Dental Emergencies

Not every dental issue needs emergency treatment, but all problems that require attention to save the tooth, stop bleeding, and alleviate severe pain is considered a dental emergency.

Severe infections like dental abscesses are life-threatening and need attention right away. You may be referred to an endodontist for root canal therapy to drain the abscess. However, leaving the condition untreated exposes you to several general health issues that will heap upon you significant expenditure for treating various health conditions.

Dental emergencies cannot be prevented, but you can undoubtedly avoid them by undergoing routine checkups and exams with your dentist to ensure your mouth and teeth are healthy and free from tooth decay. Preparing yourself for an emergency will also prove beneficial and merely requires you to invest in a dental first-aid kit available in most pharmacies. Most importantly, you must never panic during a dental emergency because managing them is not as difficult as imagined.