When we hear the word “emergency,” we think right away that it’s life-threatening. True enough, it is a difficult situation that can pose a risk to someone’s life, health, property, or surroundings. But do you know that dental emergencies also require immediate attention even if it’s often not deadly as you think?
Statistics show that dental emergencies are becoming more prevalent in both children and adults. Because of this, dentists are urging everyone to put together an oral first aid kit to efficiently handle various mouth injuries. As the name suggests, the oral first aid kit is only useful in alleviating or controlling oral emergency problems. Therefore, it should not be used as a substitute for professional treatment by your dentist.
Here’s what your oral first aid kit should include:
- Dental floss
- Toothbrush
- Small dental tweezers
- Sterile gauze
- Liquid protectant for canker sore relief
- Oxygenating oral cleanser
- Temporary tooth filling materials
- Soft dental or orthodontic wax
- Wash cloth
- Cotton balls/swabs
- Aspirin
- Dental mirror
Here’s how you should handle some of the most common dental emergencies:
Toothache
Rinse your mouth with warm water before and after using dental floss. If your gum is swelling, put an ice pack on your cheek. Do this in every 20-minutes interval (20 minutes on and 20 minutes off). If necessary, take aspirin orally to relieve pain.
Mouth sore
Otherwise called canker sores, they are tiny white wounds often found on gums and on the tongue. Most of the time, they result from vigorous toothbrushing, irritations from dentures, cheek biting, or burns from hot foods. Remove food particles from the sore using an oxygenating oral cleanser. You can likewise use a liquid protectant such as the Orabase Soothe-N-Seal liquid to give your mouth long-lasting pain relief.
Bitten lip or tongue
Using a sterile gauze, apply direct pressure to the bitten lip or tongue for about 20 minutes. In order to slow down the bleeding, you can likewise rinse it with an oral cleanser. If there’s swelling, apply an ice pack on the area that’s bleeding.
Broken tooth
Use an antiseptic oral cleanser to clean dirt from the injured area. Put also an ice-pack on the face right where you have your injured teeth to ease the swelling. In cases wherein the broken tooth has a sharp edge, cover it with orthodontic wax to prevent lacerations to the cheek or gums.
Knocked out tooth
Retrieve the knocked out tooth and, whenever possible, put it in a container of salt water or milk. If they’re not available, you can use water. Also, make sure not to touch the root of the tooth.
Need immediate dental care?
Always remember to consult a dentist as soon as possible regardless of the dental emergency you’re experiencing. Make sure also to choose only a Newport Beach dentist with solid years of experience in dental care. Call F. Anthony Rich DDS today at 949-642-7950.