In some cases, dental emergencies can’t be avoided or prepared for. When dental emergencies do arise, many patients aren’t sure what to do. Should you wait for your dentist’s office to open or even wait until your next checkup, or should you go to an emergency room, which can be costly? The answer is neither. A good dentist is here to help patients whenever they need assistance, and that includes dental emergencies. In this post, we’ll walk you through step-by-step instructions to keep you safe and pain free during dental emergencies.
1 – Call our Team Right Away
During a dental emergency, your first step should be to call your dentist. If your current dental care provider doesn’t offer emergency dentistry services, you may want to consider looking for one who does. When you call your dental office during an emergency, a knowledgeable team member will walk you through how to care for your smile and relieve pain over the phone. They’ll answer any questions you have and schedule an appointment to see you as quickly as possible.
2 – Keep the Area Clean and Stop Bleeding
A dentist or dental team member will walk you through care for your smile over the phone, but two of the most important steps you can take to keep your smile healthy until you reach our office are cleaning the damaged area and stopping bleeding. You should use cool water to remove any foreign debris. Don’t brush or use oral hygiene products unless expressly directed to do so. You will also need to stop bleeding as quickly as possible. You can apply gentle pressure to damaged soft tissue, using sterile gauze or clean cloth. You may also want to use a cold compress if pressure alone doesn’t slow bleeding quickly.
3 – Retrieve Any Knocked Out Teeth or Restorations
If you’ve had a tooth, part of a tooth, or dental restoration knocked out, you should retrieve them right away. Whenever possible, replace a whole tooth or dental restoration in the socket it came from. If you cannot replace the tooth or restoration or you’ve only lost a piece of a tooth, store the knocked out dental structures in cool water until you reach our practice.
4 – Take Pain Relievers & Use Ice Packs
You should use over the counter pain relievers as directed to relieve pain. There’s an old home remedy that recommends putting an aspirin directly onto a damaged tooth, but this is much more likely to cause further damage than to relieve pain. You should also use ice packs or cold compresses to reduce pain, slow blood flow, and prevent swelling. Use the cold compresses at twenty minute intervals as long as pain, swelling, or bleeding continues.
Meet the Denton Dental Center Team
At the Denton Dental Center, our team of experts makes every visit to our office as free from stress and pain as possible. That includes emergency dentistry appointments. We know these situations can be filled with stress, but we’re here to help relieve your discomfort and anxiety. During any dental emergency, call your emergency dentist and team right away. We’ll be happy to talk you through caring for your smile over the phone, and we’ll schedule dental office visits as soon as possible to help you repair your damaged smile.