Be Prepared for Dental Emergencies

Summertime means vacations!  You don’t want to find yourself with dental emergencies in paradise though.  Here are some helpful tips to manage a few common dental emergencies you might experience while traveling.

If you have a broken tooth:

• Save any pieces of the tooth you can find.
• Rinse your mouth out with warm salt water.  The recipe is 1 teaspoon of salt to an 8 oz glass of warm water.
• Apply a cold compress to reduce any swelling (never use heat when there is swelling).
• Call Dr. Curalli right away.

If your tooth is knocked out:

• Find the tooth.  While holding it by the crown, rinse it carefully.
• Put the tooth back in place if possible.  (This helps preserve the tooth but do NOT force it.)
• If you can’t put the tooth back into place, store it in a sealed container of milk.
• Call Dr. Curalli ASAP.

If you have severe pain and/or swelling

• Rinse thoroughly with warm salt water.
• Apply a cold compress (never warm).
• Take an over-the-counter pain medication.  Ibuprofen 600 mg is recommended if you can take it.  It reduces inflammation as well as provides pain relief.
• Call Dr. Curalli right away.

If your tongue, gum or lips are bleeding severely

• Rinse with warm salt water
• Use damp gauze (run it under a little clean water) to apply pressure to the bleeding area.  You may need to keep pressure for 15-20 or until the bleeding subsides
• If the bleeding doesn’t stop, go to the emergency room

Take these simple steps to avoid such dental dilemmas:

• Avoid chewing ice, hard candies, popcorn kernels, and other foods that could damage your teeth
• Where a mouth guard when participating in sports
• Brush and floss regularly to maintain strong, healthy teeth

Most importantly make sure you have Smile Ballard’s office number, 206-784-6310, programmed into your phone so Dr. Curalli can help you through any dental emergency.