All you need to know about Common Dental Emergencies and How to Prevent Them

Dental health plays a significant role in overall health. The mouth acts as an entry point for infections that may further spread to other parts of the body. For this reason, everyone mustn’t ignore common dental emergencies and know how to prevent common dental emergencies.

Many people make the mistake of using home remedies for treating dental problems. However, what they fail to realize is the fact that not taking proper care of dental problems can cause serious health issues down the road. Many international pieces of research indicate the association between oral infections and heart diseases, stroke, low birth rate, and premature births.

These dental emergencies should be addressed promptly with proper treatment to avoid any irreparable damage. With this blog, we will enlighten you more on this subject and help you with ways of preventing common dental emergencies.

What do all include in Common Dental Emergencies?

Toothache

It is one of the most frequent dental emergencies often ignored by most people. Though some toothaches can be managed without any special treatment, in case of certain symptoms such as swelling, it is crucial to pay attention and get the treatment done by a dentist near you.

Many people turn to common remedies like Aspirin and other painkillers to reduce pain. But they don’t realize that these medicines do more harm than good. These pain-relieving medications burn the tissues when they come in contact with the affected gums. Furthermore, applying a cold compress on the cheek’s outside or, in severe cases, visiting the dental clinic would be an ideal option.

Broken or Chipped Tooth

Not only does the Chipped or broken tooth hurt, but it can also ruin your perfect smile resulting in confidence loss. For this, the first and foremost thing is to rinse your mouth with lukewarm water and then apply a gauze piece to the bleeding site. After that, apply a cold compress closest to your broken tooth to avoid swelling and pain.

When you seek emergency dental care, the dentist will suggest you be cautious of biting too hard or consuming crunchy food. Moreover, they might also advise avoiding sports and activities that could harm the chipped or broken teeth.

Knocked-out tooth

Just like you would handle a chipped or broken tooth, you must take special care while dealing with a knocked-out tooth. For this, pick the tooth by the crown and rinse it if the tooth is dirty. If not, do not scrub your tooth to avoid the removal of attached tissue fragments.

Depending on your injury, you can put your tooth back into its place, but you need to be careful to avoid pushing it into the socket.

Ideally, if you place your tooth within one hour, there are better chances of saving your knocked-out tooth and restoring it in its place.

If you cannot reinsert your tooth, you can place it in a cup of water or milk with a salt pinch. It will help in preserving the teeth for restoration during emergency dental care in the clinic.

Crown and Lost Filling

Filling and Crown helps to restore the damaged teeth to their optimal function and appearance. When these fillings and crowns break down, it is crucial to get them treated right away to avoid excess damage and reinfection.

Try this for a temporary fix- When you are waiting for emergency dental care, you can stick a piece of sugarless gum into that cavity but do not do it yourself to avoid further damage.

Moreover, you can also place your restoration in a zip-top bag to bring it to the dentist for reapplying.

Abscess

One of the severe kinds of mouth infections is near the tooth’s root and in the gaps between teeth and gums. If left untreated, it can spread rapidly in the nearby gum tissues, teeth, and further to the whole body.

Want to check if you have an Abscess? Check your gums thoroughly, and if you have a painful pimple-like swollen spot, you have an Abscess. Visit the dental clinic straight away to avoid resulting oral health problems. You should rinse your mouth with a mild water solution and apply ice to the swollen area to get temporary relief.

Bleeding after Tooth Extraction

Though it is normal to experience bleeding and pain after the tooth extraction procedure, you should call the dentist if this problem persists longer than an hour. Meanwhile, you can place a thick gauze pad on the extraction place and apply pressure by biting the gauze. During this period, you should also avoid rinsing, drinking, eating, spitting, and smoking.

How to Prevent a Common Dental Emergency?

Use Mouthguard

If you are a sportsperson, this is definitely for you. Don’t risk your perfect smile for the love of the game. It would be best to avoid rough plays that may cause face or mouth injury and chip or knock out the tooth. Remember- Always wear a mouthguard before heading out to the field.

Nowadays, you can also opt for custom dental mouthguards for added protection and enhanced comfort.

Keep Check on your Eating Habits

Though human teeth are strong, you would be surprised to know how easily they can crack or chip. Food items like hard candies and tough meats are some of the ways that can cause your beautiful, strong teeth to break. Hence, it is always recommended to think before you bite. High sugar foods like hard candies create the risk of tooth chipping and result in cavities from excess sugar.

Avoid Chewing Things Out of Habit

We often encounter people having a habit of chewing and biting things like pen caps, nails, and other things that are not food. These bad habits also cause oral problems and may result in chipped or cracked teeth. To break these bad habits, you can keep your hands busy, and chew sugarless gums, instead.

Final Words

As you have learned how significant oral health is in your overall well-being, you need to take care of your dental health and hygiene. Any common dental emergency should not be ignored but dealt with proper professional dental treatment to avoid damages in the long run.

Knowing how to react during a dental emergency not only reduces pain but also saves a significant amount of your time and money. Moreover, besides handling a dental problem like a pro, you can avoid it through preventive measures. This can be made sure by committing to effective dental habits, avoiding harmful foods, and correcting your nutrition.