Tips For Responding To A Dental Emergency

A sudden dental emergency can be an extremely painful and stressful medical problem to face. When a person is needing to manage one of these situations, following the best practices for treating serious dental issues will help you with avoiding some of the cosmetic and comfort issues that dental issues can create.

Control The Swelling

It is extremely common for dental problems to result in sizable swelling of the gums around the tooth. Patients often fail to appreciate the impact that this swelling can have. In addition to being extremely painful, it may also contribute to the dental issue sustaining worse damage or complications. This is a result of the fact that swelling can put intense pressure on the surrounding tissue, which can kill or damage it. Using an ice pack will be the most effective solution for a person to quickly limit the swelling that occurs.

If Possible, Keep The Missing Tooth Safe

The complete loss of a tooth is one of the most serious problems a patient can experience. When a patient suffers this type of problem, they will often assume that the missing tooth will be too damaged to ever be replaced in the mouth. However, it is often possible for a dentist to reinsert the missing tooth into the gums. It will need to be relatively free of damage and the soft tissue in the tooth must still be alive. For this reason, you should put the missing tooth in a sealable plastic bag with a small amount of water. This will keep the tissue in the tooth alive so that the dentist may be able to return it if treatment is sought immediately.

Avoid Overly Relying On A Temporary Repair

Many of the treatments that dental emergency patients will require can be major procedures. As a result, the dentist may not be able to fully correct the patient's problem in one session. Applying temporary treatments is common so that the patient's discomfort will be minimized and the tooth will be protected until a more permanent treatment can be performed. A common example of this will be the placement of temporary crowns, which are designed to offer limited protection until a more durable and secure permanent crown can be placed. However, patients will often fail to appreciate the temporary nature of these treatments, and this can put them at risk of leaving these temporary solutions in place for too long. By leaving the temporary treatment in place for too long, patients can increase the risk of it failing, which could expose their teeth to serious damage.

Contact an emergency dentistry center for more information.


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