Preparing for a Dental Emergency

No matter how impeccable your oral hygiene is, dental emergencies may happen. This is especially true during the summer months when it is warm outside and you spend a lot of time participating in activities like bike riding, playing football or other outdoor sports. While these activities are fun, they put us at risk of damaging our teeth due to things like falling or getting hit in the face with a ball. Fortunately, when dental emergencies arise, a cosmetic dentist can often save your teeth. It is best to try to avoid dental accidents if at all possible, but when a dental emergency does arise, knowing what to do can make all the difference at being able to save your tooth. Here is what you need to know.

A Tooth that’s Been Knocked Out or Damaged In Some Way

If your face suffers from some kind of impact, you can lose a tooth. This impact can be caused from things like tripping and falling down or a hard hit during a recreational sport. No matter what causes your tooth to be knocked out, you need to take action immediately. Your first step should be to take the tooth that’s been dislodged and rinse it off with water. Put the tooth back into place and contact your Los Angeles dentist. If you aren’t able to put the tooth back into the socket, put it in either a cup of salt water or milk. This will help save your tooth.

When the Soft Tissue Has Been Injured

In addition to your teeth being knocked out or damaged, other areas of your mouth can be injured as well. These areas include your gums, lips, cheeks and tongue. You will notice that these areas are injured if you experience any sort of pain, bleeding or swelling. If any of these symptoms do occur, you need to put warm water in a cup and rinse out your mouth with it. For bleeding, use moistened gauze and apply direct pressure to the area. If you don’t have any gauze on hand you can use a tea bag as well. Bleeding should stop in 30 minutes or less. If it doesn’t, or it tends to get worse, this is a dental emergency. For swelling, you can use a cold compress on the outside of the mouth or cheek.

In conclusion, if your mouth hurts, it’s considered a dental emergency. You should not delay visiting your Los Angeles dentist as the problem can often get worse. The sooner you get into your cosmetic dentist to be seen, the greater chance you have of a better outcome.