What should you do during a dental emergency? Care tips from Langley City dentist ease pain, save teeth
Health Canada reports that more than four million workdays and around two million school days are missed every year due to oral illnesses. While many oral conditions are largely preventable with proactive services at Smile365 Dental, Dr. Harpreet Aulakh understands that accidents still happen. These injuries tend to arise at the most “inconvenient” of times. She encourages you to call 604-409-8660 ASAP in the event of a dental emergency. Meanwhile, keep the following dental emergency care tips from your friendly Langley City, BC, dentist in a handy place. With a little preparation, the window between your being at home and visiting us will be a lot more comfortable – and may even be the key to saving a badly-damaged tooth.
Ease the ache
Rinse your mouth with warm salt water (half-a-teaspoon for every cup). Gently lift food debris that may be irritating a specific tooth or tissue. Over-the-counter medications, such as Ibuprofen, or topical products like Orajel, may be applied. Use as directed and never apply external products inside your mouth. For instance, products like aspirin were not designed to be placed directly on a throbbing tooth. As an acid, aspirin can char the inside of your cheeks and gums.
[call]Additionally, a cold compress or bag of peas can reduce the swelling often associated with those conditions responsible for toothaches.
Save your tooth
Natural teeth and damaged dental restorations may be stored with products such as Save-a-Tooth. This system preserves tooth material in a saline and glucose mixture. If a tooth is completely knocked out, you may also place it in milk that keeps the cells in the root surfaces alive. The sooner Dr. Aulakh can treat the knocked-out tooth, the greater the odds of it being successfully reattached in the socket. The tooth may also be gently placed back into the mouth, as long as you take great care not to damage the tissues holding the tooth in its socket. If crowns or fillings are damaged, you may temporarily secure these restorations again by using dentist-approved OTC dental cement, adhesive, or even sugar-free gum (do not try to affix with any glue!). Gauze is recommended to control any bleeding that may be present.
A visit to your emergency dentist in Langley City and Brookswood, BC, Dr. Harpreet Aulakh, is the first step to a lasting solution to oral pain and to restore a healthy and stunning smile.
