Common Dental Emergencies and First Aid
When we go through First Aid training programs, there’s always one section that’s notably missing, and that’s the dental First Aid section. This has led to many people assuming that when a tooth is knocked out or damaged, there’s nothing to be done for it, but nothing could be further from the truth! These aren’t the only kind of dental emergencies that can happen either, and if you want to be prepared for them it’s time to learn a little dental first aid!
What Kinds Of Dental Emergencies Are There?
Like all kinds of injuries and emergencies, dental emergencies can range from the relatively benign to the downright traumatic. Every type of dental emergency has a form of first aid you can perform to help minimize the damage and, in some cases, restore the tooth if one was lost.
• Infections/Abscesses – These aren’t really the kind of emergency you can perform first aid on, but it’s essential to start practicing good dental hygiene immediately and get to your dentist so proper steps can be taken to eliminate them.
• Bleeding From The Mouth – If you get hit in the mouth, it’s possible that you’ll wind up bleeding from your gums and mouth. First aid for this should start with a simple saline rinse, and if the bleeding is severe, a trip to your dentist.
• Broken or Cracked Teeth – If you get hit in the mouth, or bite down on particularly hard candy or food you may end up getting a cracked tooth. If this happens find all the pieces of the tooth you can as it may be possible to repair the tooth.
• Knocked Out Tooth – This is probably the first thing that comes to mind when people think of a dental emergency. What they don’t know is that packing it in a moist paper towel or a tooth-saver kit (they’re available at your local pharmacy) can make it possible for the dentist to reinsert the tooth and the living tissue to reconnect.
• Tongue Bites – While these can happen to anyone, if they occur frequently you’re going to want to talk to your dentist to see if there are problems with the alignment of your teeth and jaw. If these result in bleeding rinse your mouth out with saline until the bleeding stops, and schedule an appointment if the bleeding or damage seems severe.
• Severe Toothache – These can often result from damage to the teeth, inflammation, or gum disease, but there are other causes. Start with applying Anbesol or a similar product to ease the pain until you get to the dentist.
Beyond first aid, the first step you should take with dental emergencies is getting to your dentist as soon as possible. If you live in the Indianapolis area, you should give Smiling Kids Pediatric Dentistry a call and schedule an appointment with Dr. Swati Singh or one of their staff. They’ve been working with children throughout the area to help with exceptional dental care and restoring teeth that might otherwise have been lost. Don’t let your dental emergency become a dental tragedy, call today!
