Dental Emergency: What you can do.

A dental emergency can occur at the most unexpected time and place; from simply tripping over an untied shoe lace, an accidental hit by a beach ball or in the midst of a rugby scrum.  Sometimes even eating something very hard can break your tooth, particularly if it’s been weakened by tooth decay. Medical conditions such as epilepsy can also make you more likely to fall. The consequence is the same. Excruciating and searing pain from the loss of your teeth!

There are steps that one can take to minimise the damage and increase the success of follow-up treatment to restore your smile.  A number of age old adages float around the community….do NOT use crushed Aspirin on your affected tooth. Aspirin is acidic and will burn your gums.  Another famous anecdote is to swish whiskey in your mouth. While some sensation of relief may be felt, this is due to the irritation caused by the whiskey to the inflamed gums, distracting your brain from the pain from the tooth loss. Finally, one making the rounds on the WWW is using crushed bay berry bark and vinegar. I will hold my hands up and say…”I had no idea what bay berry bark was, until I was rescued by Wikipedia!”

There are some definitive steps one can take in a dental emergency which have been recommended based on clinical evidence.

If you are in pain and have developed a swelling, take some ordinary painkillers – aspirin, ibuprofen or paracetamol (BDA) to provide temporary pain relief. Always read and follow the information on the packet about how much to take and how often, and do not exceed the maximum stated dose.  If you are bleeding from the tooth sockets, using a clean cloth or tissue apply pressure to staunch the flow of blood. Seek advice from your dentist ASAP.

Chipped or Broken Teeth

Wash your mouth with some warm water to remove any debris and seek advice from your dentist immediately. If the broken piece of tooth is available, bring it to your dentist as soon as possible as it may be able to be bonded back in place.

Knocked out or missing teeth.

The National Health Service (NHS) provides timely advice for dealing with tooth loss following trauma. Speed is of the essence if you want to retain your tooth, seek advice from your emergency dentist or A&E dental emergency services ASAP. The sooner the tooth gets implanted back into the socket, the lower the risk of long term damage and a gap between your teeth. A few important points to bear in mind:

• Do NOT touch the root of the tooth and ONLY handle the white solid crown (top of the tooth)
• Do not attempt to physically clean the tooth.
• If the tooth is dirty, rinse it with milk or a saline (salt water) solution and try to put the tooth back into its socket in your mouth as soon as possible. Do not rinse the tooth with water or alcohol.
• If you can insert the tooth into the socket, bite down onto a clean piece of cloth or tissue or a wet tea bag to keep it in place.
• If you cannot reinsert the tooth, hold it between your cheek and gum until you manage to see a dentist, or store the tooth in a clean container and cover it with milk or a small amount of your saliva.

The above advice only applies to adult teeth – children’s milk teeth should not be reimplanted as an adult tooth will soon grow in its place.

Lip or Tongue Bite

Gently clean the affected area with a clean cloth or tissue and press down using some ice to stop the bleeding and reduce the swelling. The bleeding should stop after a few minutes, however, if it carries on seek assistance from your local A&E dental emergency service.

Objects Caught Between Teeth

Use dental floss or an interdental cleaner to dislodge solid objects stuck between your teeth. Avoid using a toothpick as there is a greater likelihood of cutting your gums leading to infection. If the object cannot be dislodged using dental floss, seek advice from your emergency dentist ASAP.

Broken Jaw

A broken jaw will often result in swelling and will be quite painful. There may be bleeding from the mouth, and in severe circumstances the cheek or jaw may have an abnormal appearance with the jaw feeling stiff. The jaw may have limited movement, therefore your mouth may not open wide and there may also be loose or damaged teeth.

The swelling may be controlled by placing an ice pack or frozen vegetables. Do not try to force open your jaw, wrap a towel beneath the jaw and tie on top of your head to reduce movement.

Seek advice from your dentist or A&E dental emergency services ASAP.

West Wickham Dental practice provides dental emergency services and an out of hours emergency dental service. We offer late night appointments on a Wednesday and Saturday morning appointments. We will always endeavour to find a time that is most suitable for each and every patient.

To learn more about West Wickham Dental Practice, and to book your consultation appointment do not hesitate to contact the surgery today on 0208 776 1188n 0208 776 1188