Dealing With Dental Emergencies

Even if you take the best care of your teeth, you may find yourself in a situation in which you need urgent dental care. However, before you can get to the emergency dentist, you may also need some quick at-home treatment and relief. Here are some things that you can do in some dental emergencies to relieve the immediate pain and begin treating the injury or infection.

Knocked-out tooth

If a child has a baby tooth knocked out, the tooth should be kept moist before a visit to the dentist. For adults, the tooth should be placed back in the socket without touching the root if necessary or placed in milk to keep it moist.

Cracked, chipped, broken or partially dislodged tooth

Rinse the mouth with warm water. Gauze can stop the bleeding and a cold compress should bring the swelling down.

Toothaches

You should floss and rinse the area if possible and use a cold compress if the area is swelling. Do not place a painkiller against the gum as this could result in further pain and injury. It is important to assess whether the cause of the toothache is a more serious condition such as an abscess.

Abscess

For a painful, pimple-like swelling, rinse the mouth with a half-teaspoon of salt in 8 ounces of water.

Lost filling

The hole left by a lost filling can be temporary filled with sugar-free chewing gum or dental cement.