Responding To Your Dental Emergency

Experiencing a dental emergency can be a major medical issue. As with other emergency situations, a quick and effective response can be instrumental in reducing the risk of major complications and other side effects from the issue.

Keep Your Mouth Clean

After suffering a dental emergency, it is important to keep the mouth as clean as possible until you are able to seek prompt treatment. Your mouth can have a lot of bacteria in it, and these substances could get into the injured tooth or gums where an infection may develop. Thoroughly rinsing the mouth and potentially using a diluted mouthwash can help to eliminate much of this bacteria so the risk of infection will be minimized. While this may help you with reducing the risk of experiencing a serious complication as a result of the dental emergency, it will not be a substitute for seeking emergency dental care.

Use Ice And Medications To Limit Swelling

Swelling is another common side effect of a variety of dental emergencies. Reducing and mitigating the amount of swelling that is occurring will need to be a priority for patients that are experiencing this medical problem. Without effective steps to mitigate swelling, the amount of pain and discomfort that the patient may experience will be substantially worse than necessary. Furthermore, the patient may find that they are more likely to suffer additional damage to their mouth due to the pressure the swelling may place on the damaged tissue or teeth. An ice pack and the use of over-the-counter swelling reducing medications can be important steps for preventing these complications as a result of substantial swelling from the dental injury.

Save The Tooth If It Was Knocked From Your Mouth

Many dental emergencies will involve a patient suffering the loss of a tooth. A common example of this can be a tooth being knocked out of a patient's mouth by forceful impacts. If you are unfortunate enough to experience this type of dental injury, you may feel a lot of panic at the moment. However, it is important to remain calm and to attempt to save the tooth that has been knocked out of your mouth. Depending on the damage to the tooth and the gums, the dentist may be able to place the tooth back in the patient's mouth. However, this will require the patient to preserve the tooth well enough to prevent the root from dying. Ideally, the tooth should be placed in a small plastic bag with a little bit of water in it to keep the tooth from drying out.  

For more information, visit a dentist's office like Creative Smiles.