Dental Emergencies

CLINICA DENTISTA

Bulacan Dental Clinic

Guiginto, Bulcan

How to Handle Knocked-out Tooth

Milk or Baby Tooth - This poses no serious problem since it will be replaced by a permanent tooth. However, early loss can lead to mal-occlusion (spacing, crowding, “sungki”, etc)

Permanent Tooth - Do not scrub the tooth and remove any attached tissue. Carefully rinse it in running water, instead.

With timely action and some knowledge, a tooth that has been completely knocked out of its socket often can be successfully reimplanted and last for years. However, you need to know what to do in case this happens to you or someone with you. Time is of the essence so act quickly but knowledgeably. Please follow these few steps if a tooth gets knocked out:

Pick up the tooth by the crown, which is the chewing surface, and not by the root. If the tooth is dirty, hold it by the crown and rinse it gently with water. Your goal is simply to remove the dirt from the surface of the tooth. Do not use any soap or chemicals, do not scrub or dry the tooth and do not wrap it in a tissue.

Next, place the tooth back in the socket as soon as possible. The sooner the tooth is back in its original position, the better the chances it will have to survive. Place the tooth back in the socket with your fingers or place it above the socket and slowly close your mouth. Hold the tooth in place with gentle biting pressure or with your fingers.

If you can't get the tooth back in the socket, the tooth must be kept moist by placing it in either milk, inside your cheek or you can use a tooth preservation kit available at your pharmacy. The last option is to place the tooth in water with a little pinch of salt.

Call us right away! If we can see you within 30 minutes, we can begin the process of trying to save the tooth.

Toothache
Do not drink Aspirin. Rinse mouth thoroughly with warm water and floss to remove trapped food particles. See your Dentist at once for proper treatment and management.

Possible Fractured Jaw

Immobilize the jaw by any means (hanky, necktie, towel, etc). Apply cold compress in swollen areas. Call your Dentist or immediately proceed to the nearest hospital’s ER.

Chipped or broken teeth

Save any pieces. Rinse the mouth using warm water; rinse any broken pieces. If there's bleeding, apply a piece of gauze to the area for about 10 minutes or until the bleeding stops. Apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth, cheek, or lip near the broken/chipped tooth to keep any swelling down and relieve pain. See your dentist as soon as possible.

Extruded (partially dislodged) tooth

See your dentist right away. Until you reach your dentist's office, to relieve pain, apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth or cheek in the affected area. Take an over-the-counter pain reliever (such as Tylenol or Advil) if needed.

Objects caught between teeth

First, try using dental floss to very gently and carefully remove the object. If you can't get the object out, see your dentist. Never use a pin or other sharp object to poke at the stuck object. These instruments can cut your gums or scratch your tooth surface.

Lost filling

As a temporary measure, stick a piece of sugarless gum into the cavity (sugar-filled gum will cause pain) See your dentist as soon as possible.

Detached Jacket Crown

If the crown falls off, make an appointment to see your dentist as soon as possible and bring the crown with you. If you can't get to the dentist right away and the tooth is causing pain, use a cotton swab to apply a little clove oil to the sensitive area (clove oil can be purchased at your local drug store or in the spice aisle of your grocery store). If possible, slip the crown back over the tooth. Before doing so, coat the inner surface with a denture adhesive, to help hold the crown in place. Do not use super glue!

Broken braces and wires

If a wire breaks or sticks out of a bracket or band and is poking your cheek, tongue, or gum, try using a clean eraser end of a pencil to push the wire into a more comfortable position. If you can't reposition the wire, cover the end with orthodontic wax, a small cotton ball, or piece of gauze until you can get to your orthodontist's office. Never cut the wire, as you could end up swallowing it or breathing it into your lungs.

Loose brackets and bands

Temporarily reattach loose braces with a small piece of orthodontic wax. Alternatively, place the wax over the braces to provide a cushion. See your orthodontist as soon as possible. If the problem is a loose band, save it and call your orthodontist for an appointment to have it recemented or replaced (and to have missing spacers replaced).

Abscess/pus

Abscesses are infections that occur around the root of a tooth or in the space between the teeth and gums. Abscesses are a serious condition that can damage tissue and surrounding teeth, with the infection possibly spreading to other parts of the body if left untreated.

Because of the serious oral health and general health problems that can result from an abscess, see your dentist as soon as possible if you discover a pimple-like swelling on your gum that usually is painful. In the meantime, to ease the pain and draw the pus toward the surface, try rinsing your mouth with a mild salt water solution (1/2 teaspoon of table salt in 8 ounces of water) several times a day.

Soft-tissue injuries

Injuries to the soft tissues, which include the tongue, cheeks, gums, and lips, can result in bleeding. To control the bleeding, here's what to do:

• Rinse your mouth with a mild salt-water solution.
• Use a moistened piece of gauze or tea bag to apply pressure to the bleeding site. Hold in place for 15 to 20 minutes.
• To both control bleeding and relieve pain, hold a cold compress to the outside of the mouth or cheek in the affected area for 5 to 10 minutes.
• If the bleeding doesn't stop, see your dentist right away or go to a hospital emergency room. Continue to apply pressure on the bleeding site with the gauze until you can be seen and treated.