3 Common Dental Emergencies
A dental emergency is any injury to the mouth, including teeth, lips, gums, and cheeks. If your injury is severe, you should seek emergency care from a New Jersey dentist within 30 minutes so that action can be taken quickly to preserve your teeth, treat infection, and stop bleeding. Less severe injuries can usually wait until normal business hours. Oral injuries can occur from sports accidents, falls, or biting on hard food.
Common Oral Injuries
- Fractured Tooth – If your tooth cracks, immediate dental care is necessary. For small fractures, the dentist can smooth it over, and for large fractures, he or she can perform a composite restoration. If your tooth fractures, call your dentist, rinse your mouth with warm water to cleanse it, take over-the-counter pain medication to manage pain, and press ice packs to your face to minimize swelling.
- Knocked-Out Tooth – If you've knocked out your tooth, you must find it so that the dentist can repair it. Rinse the tooth with milk or water and then tuck it in your cheek or place it in the socket without touching the root. The key to reattaching the tooth is to make sure the root stays moist and intact. Seek immediate attention from your dentist if your tooth is knocked out.
- Infection – An infected tooth could spell trouble if left unchecked. An oral infection could form an abscess. If the abscess persists, blood poisoning, or sepsis, can follow. Sepsis is extremely serious and leads to death if untreated.
Quick Tips for Dental Emergency Prevention
- Brush and floss regularly
- See your dentist twice a year for checkups
- Avoid chewing hard candy, popcorn kernels, and ice
- Wear a mouthguard during sports activities
- Avoid using your teeth to open wrappers and bags
Seeking relief from a dentist is important after an oral injury, and dentists are eager to repair the damage and help you manage the pain. If you experience trauma to your mouth, contact Haworth Dental, a New Jersey dental office.