Emergency Dental Care Guide and What You Can Do to Prepare

Emergency Dental Care Guide and What You Can Do to Prepare

Feb 01, 2021

Emergency dental care deals with oral cavity problems that cause infections, bleeding, or intolerable pain. The longer you wait for treatment, the higher the risk of complications. It is essential to understand what to do in such cases so that you do not aggravate the affected parts of your teeth or gumline.

What to Do in A Dental Emergency

  • Seek Dental Advice

The worst thing patients can do when in a dental emergency is not contacting their dental practitioners. There are home remedies for temporarily alleviating gum bleeding and pain, but without the guidance of an emergency dentist in Newburyport, MA, you will risk worsening the trauma.

For this reason, always have the contact number of your Newburyport family dental practice saved on your phone. In the event of a dental emergency (especially if the bleeding continues after 10 to 15 minutes), give them a ring as soon as you can.

If you are their regular patient, they will have your dental and medical history at hand, which they may use to assess your dental situation while you’re waiting for care.

  • Saltwater Gargling

Before grabbing painkillers from your medicine cabinet, stick to the practice of gargling with saltwater. Salt in itself is a natural disinfectant, and it organically draws water out of tissues in the oral cavity to block bacteria and pathogens from being lodged inside.

You will not need to ingest it like over-the-counter medications. This gargling solution can be created by mixing ½ teaspoons of salt into an 8-ounce glass of warm H20.

Gently “swish” the solution in your mouth. And if the wound is tender, instead of gargling, leave the saltwater in your mouth for about 15 seconds. When it develops an “iron” scent or taste due to the blood coming from the wound, spit the mixture out and repeat the process.

Do this if you are experiencing a toothache, if there are abscesses present along your gum line, or if you have other oral cavity infections.

  • Ice on the Exterior of the Affected Area

Some people apply pain-relievers directly on the portion of the gums where the abscess or bleeding is found. However, dental experts advise against this. Without proper knowledge of the type of dental injury you have and the ingredients the medications contain, you may make the situation worse.

If the pain is close to unbearable and you have tasks to do while waiting for a response from your emergency dentist, you can apply a cold compress or an ice pack on the part of your face adjacent to the source.

Once your dentist gives you the green light for taking a pain reliever, specifically inquire about which type to purchase. Ingest it according to your dentist’s instructions.

  • Enamel and Pulp Breakage

For injuries that crack open your tooth from its enamel to its pulp, rinse your mouth with room temperature to warm water. Then, promptly collect the broken shards of the teeth and call your dentist.

Be sure to avoid touching the inner layer and root of the fragment. Hold it by the crown and rinse it under running water (cold). Another option is to rinse it with milk and submerge it in the milk soon after. Do not submerge the tooth in water.

There are properties in milk-products that stop the roots of broken teeth from swelling up, or worse, bursting, which water submersion does to fragmented teeth. In addition to this, the proteins in milk have a stable ratio for acid-to-alkaline degrees. This, along with bacteria-fighting agents and healthy sugars, helps cell growth while the tooth remains unattached.

All of these tips work together as an urgent dental care measure that can be accomplished on your own. Carefully observe these tips to preserve your teeth before heading to see your emergency dentist.

If you are experiencing a dental emergency, don’t hesitate to contact Newburyport Family Dental. We can help restore your oral health and preserve your teeth.

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