How To Deal With Dental Emergencies

Experiencing accidental tooth loss can be very traumatic. Most of the time people think that a lost or broken tooth cannot be put back or fixed. Here are a few pointers of things you can do to minimize the damage after an accident and avoid permanent loss of tooth bone:

Broken tooth

If your tooth gets broken, first find all fragments of the damaged tooth, if any have come off. Put these fragments in a cup of milk and take them with you to your dentist. Your dentist will check for fragments that may be left in the wound. If the top of the tooth (the crown) has broken off, a small piece of gauze soaked in hydrogen peroxide will help stop the bleeding. The gauze has to be placed on top of the tooth.

Cracked tooth

If a tooth gets cracked, apply a layer of petroleum jelly (known as Vaseline) to the tooth, so that cold or hot air will not cause any pain when breathing. Steer clear of hot or cold drinks (lukewarm water is fine) and go to a dentist as soon as possible. Depending on the damage a dentist may be able to repair and fill the tooth.

Knocked out tooth

If one of your teeth gets knocked out of your mouth, try to find the tooth as quickly as possible. Hold the tooth by the crown (the top visible half of the tooth) and rinse the root of the tooth off with clean water if the tooth is dirty. To reduce accidental tooth loss it is best to gently put the tooth back into its socket, and hold it in place there. Should you not be able to do that keeping the tooth in a cup of milk is the best option. After that it is imperative that you should make your way to a dentist as quickly as possible, taking the tooth with you of course.

Treatment for Dental Injuries

Broken teeth need your dentists' attention too. Try to get to one as quickly as possible and rinse your mouth with lukewarm water to clean the wound or broken tooth. If available, applying a cold compress to your cheek will help reduce swelling of the affected area.

As said before, if you manage to get to a dentist quickly after the accident occurs, there is a lot that he or she might be able to do for you. Accidental tooth loss does not always have to result in the loss of a tooth for the rest of your life.

Your dentist may be able to put the tooth back into its original place, if the tooth is not too badly damaged. Children's milk teeth are not re-implanted because the underlying adult 'tooth could be damaged in the process of implanting it again. After re-implanting the patient might have to wear a splint for a short period of time to hold the tooth in place. If your tooth is damaged or chipped a dentist is possibly able to rebuild the tooth using the original fragment or filler. Tooth loss statistics show that most teeth can be repaired again after breaking them. Your dentist will want you to come back for regular checkups to ensure that the healing process is going well.