The 5 Most Common Dental Emergencies and How to Prevent Them

Angel Dental of El Monte, Ca. Can Help with your dental emergency

Accidents are unavoidable. They happen far more frequently than we’d like to admit. Dental accidents are one of the most common injuries that inflict the vast majority of people in their everyday routines. Whether it is a minor tooth chip from some harmless rough-housing with your sibling, from a strong blow to the face during contact sports, or even more unexpected, from biting on particularly hard candy, you may be in need of an emergency dentist from time to time.

While your life may not, at any point in time, be in imminent danger, it is wise to know the various kinds of injuries that can send you rushing to the ER at night. In conjunction, you may also be informed of what you should be doing to prevent them. Here are the five most common dental emergencies and what you can do to avoid them.

● TOOTHACHE

Any form of toothache is never a good sign and can often be indicative of various dental anomalies like tooth decay, gum disease, or abscess. While some toothaches are manageable without the need for any urgent treatment, others may not bear the same fate. If your toothache is accompanied by bouts of bleeding and abnormal swelling, you should contact an emergency doctor as quickly as possible.

Avoid taking aspirin or common painkillers because contact with the infected gums can burn the tissue and cause further damage. Instead, you can turn to cold therapies like using a cold compress outside of your cheek until you visit your dental professional for an assessment.

● CHIPPED TOOTH

If you’ve recently bitten onto something hard that resulted in a chipped tooth, you may be out of sorts to have it repaired and looking as normal. However, a chipped tooth does not only affect your aesthetic straight smile but can also severely hurt. In cases like this, you should immediately rinse your mouth with a warm saline solution and apply a piece of gauze to the site of the bleeding.

You can also apply a cold compress on the area to reduce the swelling and relieve the pain. While seeking medical attention, your dentist will advise you to lay off hard and crunchy foods, along with paying careful attention to your mouth during sports so as to avoid further chipping or breaking of the teeth.

● KNOCKED-OUT TOOTH

Sometimes, you may encounter scenarios when your entire tooth gets knocked out. In these cases, you are supposed to handle the broken tooth the same way you handled chipped teeth. Pick the tooth up by the crown without touching the root portion. Rinse the tooth thoroughly to get rid of any debris or dirt. Avoid scrubbing the tissue fragments.

Depending on the severity of your injury, the dentist may be able to put your tooth back in place. For this reason, you should put your tooth in a sterile and clean container, submerged in milk or saline water. This will help preserve the tooth in time for the emergency dentist to perform an urgent restoration at their clinic.

● LOST FILLING OR CROWN

Fillings and crowns are time-bound, which means that they are likely to be broken, damaged, or require replacing in some years after the restoration. If you break your crown or filling, you’ll need to get it replaced or refilled immediately to prevent the risk of damage or infection. While you’re awaiting visiting the dentist for a restoration appointment, you can try this fix.

Stick a piece of sugarless gum in the cavity but do not attempt to fix the tooth on your own as you may end up damaging it even more. You can also place the fallen-out restoration in a zip-log bag and bring it to your dentist’s clinic to reapply or be fitted with a new restoration.

● BLEEDING AND PAIN AFTER AN EXTRACTION

After a tooth extraction or dental procedure, it is normal for your to experience some amount of post-op pain, bleeding, and discomfort. However, if bleeding and pain persist even an hour after the dental procedure, it may be a call for concern. You can place a thick gauze pad over the extraction site to suppress the bleeding.

In addition, you can also apply pressure by biting down on the gauze. Visit an emergency dentist immediately. In the meantime, avoid drinking and eating, along with sucking, spitting, and smoking.

It is always a wise decision to visit the emergency dentist as quickly as possible to prevent the aggravation of the condition. Call your local emergency dentist if you’re experiencing any of these common dental emergencies.

For any questions please call us and discuss your emergency with Angel Dental at 626-444-2002 in El Monte.

 

 

 

 

 

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