When you have a dental emergency, the first thing you should do is call your dentist to be seen right away. However, these things often occur in the middle of the night or over the weekend when it isn't as easy to be seen right away. Here are some ways to handle dental emergencies if you can't get to the dentist.
Toothache
If you have a mild toothache, it is most likely not a dental emergency. You should be able to wait until your dentist is in their office next. However, if you have tried an over-the-counter pain reliever, and the pain is getting worse instead of better, you might actually have an infection. In this case, call your dentist and if they can't see you, go to the emergency room for antibiotics. To relieve a toothache at home, try gargling with warm saltwater, removing food particles around the tooth with dental floss, and using a numbing agent for the tooth and gums.
Broken Tooth or Crown
If you have a broken tooth or crown, this can also be considered a dental emergency. It often causes pain in the tooth and nerve, especially if they are exposed due to the breaking of the tooth. After calling your dentist, rinse the area with warm water to prevent infection. Take a pain reliever and use a cold compress on that side of your face to reduce swelling. If you still have the entire crown that broke off, you can reattach is with dental cement or toothpaste as a temporary measure.
Lost Filling
If you are chewing something hard and you feel something fall out of your tooth, it might be your filling. While filings do last a long time, they often need to be redone after several years. If your filling came out, you might not notice many side effects aside from mild discomfort since your tooth has an open cavity. The best thing to do aside from calling your dentist is to use dental cement found in drug stores. This lets you fill the cavity and avoid an infection or more pain, but is only a temporary solution. If you can't find the dental cement, use sugarless gum.
Post-Surgical Infection
One of the most painful dental emergencies to deal with is when you have an infection after having oral surgery. If you have a tooth removed a few days ago, and are suddenly experiencing severe pain, swelling of your face, and an odd liquid coming out of the extraction site, you probably have an infection. This is considered a medical emergency since infections can spread and make the problem a lot worse. This is one emergency that you can't treat at home. You need to find your nearest hospital right away.
For professional dental care, contact a dental office such as Eden Prairie Dental Care.
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