Know How to Handle a Dental Emergency

The definition of an emergency is, according to Google, “a serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action.”

You may be like many people who try to pretend like they are prepared for an emergency, but the truth is that there is no way to truly be prepared at all times. However, there are things you can do to make sure that you know pretty well what to do when emergencies strike.

Dental emergencies are often much different from other emergencies because they are often hidden. They can happen in a flash. The patient might try to avoid coming into the office, but if a dental emergency is not taken care of, there will be very serious ramifications.

When Emergencies Happen

You would probably be surprised at how quickly and easily a dental emergency can take place. One second you are enjoying a cold drink, and the next second you have a broken tooth from an ice cube. One minute your child is walking to the car after practice, and the next minute they have tripped and are holding their tooth in their hand.

Whatever the situation looks like, the key is to remain calm and react quickly. If you feel overwhelmed, just take a deep breath and try again. If you are not the patient, it is important that you work to keep the patient calm, especially if it’s a child.

Knowing What to Do

As we mentioned before, you are never fully prepared for a dental emergency, but you can have a good idea of what to do. Read below to see some of the common dental emergencies and how to take first steps in each emergency.

Knocked-Out Tooth
This is the emergency that we are all terrified of. We don’t want it to happen to us, and we don’t want it to happen to our kids, but it does happen from time to time. In this emergency, pick up the tooth (by the crown), rinse it off, and put it in the patient’s cheek so it will stay moist. Call our office and get here at quickly as you can. If our office is unavailable, get to the emergency room.

Broken Dental Appliance
Broken appliances are very common. Crowns falling off, bridges breaking, braces brackets coming apart, etc. Keep a tube of denture adhesive in your first aid kit. Put a dab on the appliance and put it back in place as best as you can. Then, call us and head to the office!

Toothache
Waking up with a throbbing pain in your tooth is a sure sign that there is something seriously wrong with your tooth. Often, this means an infected tooth. You can rinse your mouth with salt water to ease some of the discomfort and take an over the counter acetaminophen to take care of the pain. Call our office and head this way so that we can treat you before the entire tooth is lost.

Call Perrigo Dental Care!

No matter which type of dental emergency you have, your first step is to call Perrigo Dental Care right away. We will fit you into our schedule and tell you how to handle the emergency until you can get to us.

The best way to prevent an emergency is to keep your teeth as healthy and strong as you can. Contact our office today to set up your next dental cleaning and appointment. We can’t wait to see you here very soon!