General Dentistry |2 min read
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.