Yearly Oral Health Reminders: Oral Emergencies

It is always important to make sure that your oral health is cared for not only with effective cleaning habits but also for dental damage protection. Preventing damage is essential for optimal health care due to the numerous hazards and risks that are present in our daily lives. If an oral emergency should occur, it is important to follow effective steps to keep your smile safe before professional treatments can be given.

If you are suffering from dental damage that has resulted in a chipped or broken tooth, the first thing you should do is clean the area around the damage to remove any debris. Next, place gauze over the wound for at least 10 minutes or until bleeding has stopped. If inflammation starts to occur, you can place a cold compress or ice pack on the outside of your mouth wherever the damage has occurred. Save any pieces of the chipped tooth that may have broken off, and visit your dentist.

If a tooth has been knocked out completely, do not worry, as there may still be time to save the tooth. However, you must make sure you find all parts of the tooth that may have been knocked out. As with chipped or broken teeth, it is important to make sure you apply gauze to the wound to stop the flow of blood. It is essential that you place the lost tooth in a tooth-saving solution such as milk, water with a pinch of table salt, or an actual tooth saving product such as Save-A-Tooth. Typically, a dentist may be able to return the tooth to its socket if dental treatment can be received within 1 hour.

Don’t wait too long if you suffer an oral accident. If you would like to know if you require a treatment for an oral emergency, please contact Dr. Barry Kinney and our team at our dentist office in San Francisco, California, by calling us at 415-647-7077.