A dental emergency can involve a variety of conditions, such as a severe, relentless toothache or a broken tooth. Facial injuries and damage to restorations or orthodontic appliances may also fall under this category.
If you experience a dental emergency, you may be able to take steps at home to manage the situation. For example, you can take an aspirin or another over-the-counter painkiller to get some relief from a toothache. [pullquote]A dental emergency can involve a variety of conditions, such as a severe, relentless toothache or a broken tooth.[/pullquote]
In other cases, you must seek care from a dentist immediately. If a dental emergency occurs after your dentist’s normal business hours, you may need to go to a local emergency room or urgent care center, especially if the problem involves excessive bleeding or severe pain that is interfering with your normal routine.
After treatment by another practitioner, be sure to follow up with your own dentist as soon as possible for additional care and to make sure that you are healing well.
Although dental emergencies are unpredictable, you can prepare in advance by creating a kit of supplies that would be useful in such a scenario. Include gauze, cold compresses, dental floss, orthodontic wax (for patients who wear braces) and dental cement. These items can help you with a DIY temporary fix until you can get to a professional.
It’s also helpful to know how to react to certain situations. If a tooth is dislodged, save the tooth and place it in a small container of milk and, if possible, get to your dental provider within 30 minutes. A lost cavity filling can be temporarily replaced with a piece of sugarless gum or dental cement. Attempt to slide a lost crown back into place, and at the very least save the crown to see if the dentist can put it back into place.
At your next dental visit in our Barrie office, ask our team how you can prepare for a dental emergency in case you ever face one. Call 1-888-739-2975 for more information.