Any dental emergency like an injury to the teeth or gums can be potentially serious and should not be ignored. Ignoring a dental problem can increase the risk of permanent damage as well as the need for more extensive and expensive treatment later on.
Here's a quick summary of what to do for some common dental problems.
Toothaches . First, thoroughly rinse your mouth with warm water. Use dental floss to remove any lodged food. If your mouth is swollen, apply a cold compress to the outside of your mouth or cheek. Never put aspirin or any other painkiller against the gums near the aching tooth because it may burn the gum tissue. See your dentist as soon as possible.
Chipped or broken teeth. Save any pieces. Rinse the mouth using warm water; rinse any broken pieces. If there's bleeding, apply a piece of gauze to the area for about 10 minutes or until the bleeding stops. Apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth, cheek, or lip near the broken/chipped tooth to keep any swelling down and relieve pain. See your dentist as soon as possible.
Knocked-out tooth. Retrieve the tooth, hold it by the crown (the part that is usually exposed in the mouth), and rinse off the tooth root with water if it's dirty. Do not scrub it or remove any attached tissue fragments. If possible, try to put the tooth back in place. Make sure it's facing the right way. Never force it into the socket. If it's not possible to reinsert the tooth in the socket, put the tooth in a small container of milk (or cup of water that contains a pinch of table salt, if milk is not available) or a product containing cell growth medium, such as Save-a-Tooth. In all cases, see your dentist as quickly as possible. Knocked out teeth with the highest chances of being saved are those seen by the dentist and returned to their socket within 1 hour of being knocked out.
Having to deal with a dental emergency is not something people think about. However, being prepared can make the difference between saving or losing a tooth. And in the case of a toothache, if it involves a bacterial infection, it can be a life-threatening situation.
Here are a couple of common dental emergency situations and what to do about them.
A tooth is knocked out
This is a very common sports injury. First, call your emergency dentist if you have one. It is imperative that you get to the dentist in thirty minutes. Always handle the tooth by the crown and not the root. Rinse the tooth in water to remove any contaminants. If possible, store the tooth in the mouth of the injured person between the cheek and gum. If you can't get to the dentist in thirty minutes, gently but firmly replace the tooth in the socket until you can get to the dentist.
You're suffering with a toothache
Toothaches can be more dangerous than any physical trauma to a tooth. Rinse your mouth out with warm water and place some kind of cold compress against your cheek for twenty minutes to reduce the swelling. Then use twenty minutes of mild heat and then back to the cold compress.
Don't put any kind of pain medication against the gum. The pain medication could burn the gum and cause more problems. The greatest risk comes if the toothache is from a bacterial infection. If left untreated, this could become life threatening.
