Dental emergencies happen. You play sports and crack a tooth. You go on vacation and a crown falls out. Or how about a migraine-inducing toothache? You need some quick action to deal with an emergency. But when the dental office is closed or your regular dentist is far away, it can feel like you’re facing a full-blown crisis.
Here’s a tip: Keep calm and stop panicking. You can treat a dental emergency by yourself in simple ways before you get to a dental office. Read up on ways to deal with a dental emergency—your dental first aid tips are here.
What Can Happen in a Dental Emergency
A dental emergency can take various forms. A true emergency, requiring urgent care, happens when there are:
- Excessive bleeding that comes from trauma or other factors
- Any condition where your airway is blocked
- Infection followed by swelling and pain
To be more specific, these situations may be considered emergencies as well:
- Cracked/chipped/fractured tooth: Broken teeth will hurt because your teeth’s inner layer is exposed to bacteria, which may lead to infection.
- Dislodged tooth: When a tooth gets fully or partially knocked out of its socket, it gets disconnected from the nerves and surrounding tissues. This may cause bleeding.
- Lost dental filling or crown: A dental filling or crown protects the part of the tooth that it replaces. Losing it will expose the sensitive tooth structure. Pain and infection may follow.
- Abscess or gum infection: If there’s an abscess (a swelling in your gum that is filled with pus), the infection may be severe and painful.
- Gum or soft tissue injury: If the gums or soft tissues are injured, you may require oral stitches.
- Broken orthodontic appliances: Broken or damaged braces, wires, and aligners can harm your mouth and cause massive discomfort.
- Stuck food particles between teeth: Getting food particles stuck between your teeth may cause pain. Some even may need professional removal.
General Action to Deal with Any Type of Dental Emergency
For any kind of dental emergency, call your dentist immediately. Ask them for step-by-step instructions. If it’s outside of regular business hours, use the emergency number. Most dental practices have a 24-hour emergency service for urgent queries.
After receiving instructions, you will likely be told to come in for treatment at the dental office or clinic. Some instructions are meant to tide you over until the formal appointment. Or you can apply some home remedies in the meantime.
Calling 911
Calling 911 is not usually recommended for a dental emergency. Unless the emergency is particularly severe and involves profuse, unstoppable bleeding. If 911 cannot respond for any reason, visiting an emergency room is another option. However different hospitals and clinics may differ in definitions of what constitutes an emergency, which will determine the speed of your treatment.
During travels
If you’d like to anticipate dental emergencies while traveling, whether domestically or abroad, researching before you go is an option. Look out for dental clinics in the places you are planning to visit and take down their information. Even if you don’t end up calling them, being prepared to face any dental issue cannot harm you.
If you’re traveling abroad, ensure you include research on the country’s healthcare system and whether or not dental services can be easily located. In places where there are no dental services available, ensure that you make a note of hospitals with reliable emergency rooms. Including dental insurance plans, if available, as part of your travel insurance can also be helpful.
Quick Remedies to Treat a Dental Emergency
Try these solutions before you get to the dentist’s practice and have your teeth checked.
Treating a severe toothache
Gently brush your teeth and floss as usual to remove any food remnants. Wash your mouth with warm water. You may even create a saltwater solution if you need a disinfectant. If there’s swelling, press a cold compress to the swollen part. If the pain is unbearable, taking an OTC pain reliever is safe enough.
Treating broken or chipped tooth
If you can, locate the broken pieces of your tooth and sterilize them by rinsing them with clear water. Then, swill some warm water inside your mouth to wash it. Use a cold compress on the outside, near the chipped or fractured tooth. The cold compress will keep any swelling down.
Treating knocked-out tooth
Same as before, attempt to find the loose piece and save it. Hold the tooth by the crown while avoiding the root. Cleanse it without scrubbing. It’s tempting to attempt to reinsert the tooth into the socket by yourself. However, collecting the tooth and saving it in a sterile container for the dentist to take care of is likely a better idea.
Treating knocked-out crowns or fillings
The treatment is similar to the previous two treatments. Keep the dental crown or dental filling you’ve lost to take to the dentist. If you’re confident, you can try placing it back yourself but it requires the use of over-the-counter dental cement (definitely not super glue). However, if you are unsure or cannot find the cement, let your dentist do their job.
Treating abscess
An abscess is considered pretty serious as it can damage dental tissues and the surrounding teeth. It’s usually a sign of infection and may cause swelling. If you have a fever, it means the abscess is severely infected. Avoid pressing on the swollen areas as the pus, which may carry the infection, can flood your mouth. Let your dentist treat the dental abscess medically as soon as possible. Meanwhile, to keep your mouth clean, rinse with salt water a few times a day.
Treating soft tissue injury
Soft tissue injuries are harm that happens to your gums, tongue, inner cheeks, or lips. They may bleed and can be extremely painful. As this can be considered a medical emergency, it’s a good reason to visit the nearest emergency room for immediate treatment.
In the meantime, wash your mouth with saltwater to avoid infection. Minimize the bleeding by putting pressure on the injured site with moist, clean gauze. Continue to do this until you receive professional treatment. For further attempts to control the bleeding and relieve pain, use a cold compress.
Conclusion
Calling your dentist immediately and waiting for further instructions is the surefire way to deal with your dental emergency. In the meantime, try out the DIY remedies outlined in this article to tide you over.
Dr. Rath at Radiance Family & Cosmetic Dentistry offers a variety of dental services to address your concerns, including urgent ones. Ready for a treatment? Request an appointment today.
