As with any emergency, including dental, the important thing is to try and remain calm. Sometimes medical and dental emergencies are one and the same. In such cases, the individual experiencing trauma should receive medical emergency care as soon as possible. Emergency units often have oral surgeons who are trained in managing a dental emergency as part of a medical one.
Dental emergencies may be standalone requiring emergency care provided by a dental professional. Typical dental emergencies include:
Totally or partially knocked out tooth
Broken, chipped or fractured tooth
Persistent toothache
Bleeding teeth and gums
Tooth infection
Dental abscess
Injured lip or tongue
Broken or dislocated jaw
Broken orthodontic device or denture
Any one of these conditions may trigger a dental emergency. Steps that may be taken in handling a dental emergency include:
Staying calm and contacting an emergency dentist for care immediately
Being accompanied as soon as possible to the emergency dentist
Using cotton wool and antiseptic from a dental emergency kit to temporarily stem bleeding
Gently rinsing the mouth with warm water where tooth infection or bleeding is occurring
Applying clove oil to a toothache
Keeping broken off parts of a tooth or a knocked out tooth in the cavity of the mouth for the emergency dentist
If partially knocked out, pressing the tooth back into the tooth socket en-route to the emergency dentist
Emergency dentists may be able to save a tooth if parts of the tooth or the whole tooth are kept for treatment. However, where the lip, tongue or mouth is torn, or the jaw is broken it is advisable to attend a medical emergency unit as soon as possible. Contact Clifton Dental Studio in Bristol for more information on emergency dental treatment.
With nearly half the teeth lost to dental trauma each year happening as the result of sporting injury, it is important that we do all we can to protect our teeth when playing sport. One of the easiest ways to do this is to wear a mouth guard fitted by a Chepstow dentist.
Physical sports such as rugby and boxing or any sport involving a fast moving ball can pose a threat to your teeth. Just one ill-timed tackle or unlucky deflection and you could be looking at one or more lost teeth that will be the source of great pain, embarrassment and financial cost. Knocked out teeth, if they cannot be replaced immediately, can require enormous amounts of costly and unpleasant dental work to restore. This could involve replacing the missing teeth with dental implants of dental bridges, both of which while effective are also pretty expensive.
Having a mouth guard will add a dimension of protection to your teeth as it spreads the impact across the mouth meaning individual teeth are less likely to be lost. Mouth guards are usually made of rubber which also cushions and absorbs some of the impact. While it is possible to buy mouth guards in sporting good shops, these are often generic and will not fit your teeth well. This limits the amount of protection they are able to offer. A Chepstow will be able to design and manufacture a mouth guard that will fit your specific teeth. Using dental moulds and x-rays, your dentist can make the mouth guard very accurate and comfortable and make any adjustments that are required. This may cost slightly more than a ready-made mouth guard from a sport shop, but the extra protection you will be giving your teeth could just be priceless.
For children, it is important to remember that their mouth guard will need to be changed more often to accommodate for their developing teeth and jaw. Ask your dentist for more details.
Call Today On 0117 973 1910 Email info@cliftonsmiles.co.uk
Dr Gerrard is a Bristol based Cosmetic dentist with many years of experience and is one of only a small number of dentists accredited by The British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry
