The weather is warming up and people are beginning to move outside. Soccer, softball, and football leagues will soon be underway, which means one thing: Dental Emergencies. Any dental emergency, whether it is a broken tooth or injured gum, can be potentially serious and should be addressed as soon as possible, if not immediately.
Dental Emergencies
- Chipped Tooth: If you ever chip a tooth, find and save as many pieces as you can. Next, rinse out your mouth with warm water and apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth, cheek, or lip near the chipped tooth. This will help relieve swelling and pain. Finally, call your dentist and schedule an appointment as soon as possible.
- Knocked-Out Tooth: If your tooth is knocked out, find it and hold it by the crown. This is the part of the tooth typically exposed. If the tooth is dirty, rinse it off, but do not scrub it. And, if possible, try to put the tooth back in place without forcing it into the socket. If this is not possible, place the tooth in a container of milk and schedule an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible. According to WebMD, “knocked out teeth with the highest chances of being saved are those seen by the dentist and returned to their socket within 1 hour of being knocked out.”
- Extruded Tooth: If your tooth is partially dislodged, apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth to help reduce swelling and pain. Schedule an appointment with your dentist right away.
- Gum Injury: injuries to the gum, as well as tongue, cheeks, or lips, often result in bleeding. To help control the situation, rinse your mouth with salt-water, use a moistened piece of gauze and apply pressure to the affected area for 15-20 seconds, and apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth for 5-10 minutes. If the bleeding does not stop, schedule an appointment with your dentist right away or head to the hospital, while continuing to apply pressure to the area.
Ignoring a dental problem can increase the risk of permanent damage as well as the need for more extensive and expensive treatment later on. Unfortunately, emergency dental services aren’t as readily available as you would think.
When Accidents Happen, you need an Emergency Dentistry Specialist in Annapolis
Dr. Steckler and the emergency dentistry specialists at Annapolis Dental Care can help. Whether you had a tooth knocked out while playing football or chipped a tooth playing softball, we are here to help. We can get you in quickly and fix the problem right in our office. We schedule early morning and evening appointments and maintain a well-supplied and well-equipped office so we can respond to emergencies with same-day care.
If you have any questions about Emergency Dentistry in Annapolis, or if you wish to schedule an appointment, please contact Annapolis Dental Care by calling (410) 267-0766 or visit AnnapolisDentalCare.com today! You can also follow Annapolis Dental Care on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
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