Dental emergencies can range in severity, depending on the extent of the damage to your smile and how far along the issue has progressed. However, there’s one thing that you should do no matter what the circumstances of your situation are, and that’s to call your emergency dentist. If you have a chipped tooth, you may experience uncomfortable symptoms like sharp sensitivity when you open your mouth to breathe. It’s important to never panic despite your pain and follow some of these helpful tips to prevent your smile from sustaining additional damage.
Rinse Out Your Mouth
The first step you should take after chipping or breaking your tooth is to rinse your mouth out to clear the area of any blood or dirt. You can do this by gently swishing warm water or a salt water solution made from one teaspoon of salt and one cup of water. This will also keep you from accidentally swallowing pieces of broken-off teeth or biting down on them.
Stop Any Bleeding
If you experienced trauma, like getting hit in the mouth by a basketball or accidentally falling face-first into a hard surface, you may be bleeding. Blood can make a not-so-severe accident look more serious by concealing the actual damage. You can clean it up by applying pressure to the area with a piece of sterile gauze or a clean piece of cloth, like a dish rag. Be sure not to vigorously scrub or clean the area because this could cause even more pain.
Preserve Your Tooth
Try to locate any fragments of your teeth that broke off and rinse them under a cool stream of water. Store them in a clean, sealable container or a Ziploc bag and bring them to your appointment. In some cases, emergency dentists are able to glue the fragment back onto your tooth. If this isn’t the case for your situation, don’t worry, because they’ll be able to use a tooth-colored composite resin to restore it.
Prevent Swelling & Pain
To keep the area from swelling and help alleviate some of your pain, you can place a cold compress on the outside of your mouth for 10 minutes on, 10 minutes off, for up to an hour at a time. The coolness from the ice pack will help constrict the blood vessels, numb the area, and stop bleeding. If you don’t already have a ready-to-use ice pack in the freezer, you can place some ice cubes in a Ziploc bag and wrap a thin rag around it. This will keep it from being too cool and uncomfortable to sit with on your face.
Visit Your Emergency Dentist ASAP
One common denominator with all dental emergencies is to visit your dentist as soon as possible once the incident occurs. They can provide you with treatment to make sure that no additional damage to your smile occurs and help you feel more comfortable.
About the Practice
At Oakbrook Dental & Orthodontics, our team consists of four experienced and knowledgeable professionals who have handled countless dental emergency situations. We always try to get our emergency patients who are in pain into our office as soon as possible to help relieve their discomfort. We also offer sedation dentistry for our patients who are in shock or anxious. For questions or to schedule an emergency appointment, visit our website or call 469-526-4040.