Steps to Take When You Need an Emergency Dentist

An emergency dental situation can come at you out of nowhere, even if you normally have a good maintenance routine for your teeth and see your Barrie dentists on a regular basis. Such a situation could include a chipped tooth, an accident that breaks a tooth or knocks it loose, or an infection. When you find yourself in such a situation, you might feel a sense of panic wash over you. If you stay calm and follow the steps outlined below, however, you can get through the situation with a minimum of pain and trauma.

Rinse Your Mouth

If your tooth is broken, cracked, or otherwise damaged, you probably need to contact an emergency dentist right away. However, you should first determine the full extent of the damage. Start by rinsing your mouth out with warm water and examining your mouth in a mirror. This can help you figure out what happened and whether your tooth was knocked out entirely or if it broke. Rinsing the mouth out with warm water helps to remove the immediately obstruction of blood while not causing the sort of discomfort that very cold or very hot water would. After rinsing, avoid drinking hot or cold beverages until after you have visited the emergency dentist.

Find the Tooth, if Possible

If you have lost a tooth or broken a piece off, finding the tooth can be helpful when it comes to dental repairs or replacement. If you can locate the tooth, place it in a glass of milk to help preserve it. That way, if the dentist can reattach it, the tooth will be in the best possible condition when the time comes. If you can’t find your missing tooth or can’t locate a piece of a broken or chipped tooth, don’t worry too much. The important thing at this point is not to locate what has come out of your mouth, but to make sure that the pain and risk of infection doesn’t get so severe that you risk running into more troubles down the road.

Call Before Taking Pain Medication

Depending on the level of pain you feel, you might find yourself tempted to take some painkillers before visiting the dentist. Make sure that you place a call to your local emergency dentistry office first before you give in to that temptation. While some pain medication might help relieve your agony, others act as blood thinners, which can make the bleeding associated with a dental emergency worse. When you call the dental office, describe your symptoms and let them know if you are experiencing severe pain. You might receive the okay to take some over the counter medicines to dull the pain, but be sure to follow your dentist’s instructions precisely to avoid unnecessary complications.

Get to an Emergency Dentist as Soon as Possible

Once you have consulted your dental office for advice, you should make sure to get to your dentist as soon as possible. Some issues might be able to wait, but if you have pain or profuse bleeding you need to consult a professional as soon as you can. If your dentist doesn’t offer emergency service, you should either ask for a consultation to another office or look up somebody near you who can help. It doesn’t hurt to do your research early on so you know what to do in case of an emergency. Having good information is always very valuable, and it helps immensely to have the number of an emergency dental office on the off chance that you need it. As with most medical matters, it is better to know information that you don’t use than to not know when an emergency situation arises.

The pain and stress that you feel during a dental emergency can cloud your judgment, but if you follow the advice listed here you can keep yourself calm and avoid unfortunate infections or other issues. It’s important to make sure that you focus on these steps, as doing so can allow you to save your tooth, keep a brilliant smile, and avoid potential complications. If your dental office doesn’t handle emergency dentistry, seek out one at the earliest opportunity to help protect your dental health.