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Most people can tell what a medical emergency is, especially if it has anything to do with broken bones. But dental emergencies can be a little trickier, especially because if you’ve taken care of your teeth, you shouldn’t have many in your lifetime. If you play sports or endanger your teeth otherwise, you may be in danger of a dental emergency--sometimes worse than a medical emergency because of where your teeth are located and what they are used for! Here are just a few of the most common dental emergencies, how to deal with them, and how they are treated at the dentist’s office. Knocked Out One of the most common tooth injuries is getting a tooth knocked out. Though this isn’t a pleasant experience, and results in emergency dental care, there are many solutions for getting a tooth knocked out. If this happens, you’ll want to call your dentist immediately to make sure they have time to see you. If you still have the tooth, be sure to avoid touching the root because that will make it more difficult to reattach the tooth. If you can store the tooth in the mouth of the reattached, keeping it wet, you’ll have a better chance of not letting the tooth dry out and die. And you’ll want to get you and your tooth to the dentist within 30 minutes, as this will make or break the opportunity to reattach it. The tooth will then be splinted by a dentist, or you’ll have to have a replacement tooth put in. Cracked or Fractured A fractured tooth is extremely painful, especially if it is a large fracture. There are a few things that you can do to help this tooth feel better while you are on your way to the dentist. First, rinse your mouth with warm water. If you are in pain from the fracture, take ibuprofen, not aspirin (a blood thinner) for pain. You can also use a cold compress on your fractured tooth to reduce the swelling, though the cold may make it feel worse. You’ll want to get to your dentist for emergency treatment as soon as possible to see how bad the fracture is. If it is a minor fracture, it can be smoothed by your dentist or left alone, though you may want to take care of it so the fracture doesn’t grow or set off another crack. If it is a moderate fracture, you may have damage to the enamel of your tooth, your nerves, or other tissues. In this case, you’ll need further emergency dental care. If it is a severe fracture, it will often mean a traumatized tooth with little chance of recovery. Toothache Toothaches seem like one of the least pressing tooth issues, but can be something terrible. There are many different causes of toothaches, including tooth decay, abscessed teeth, fractures, damaged fillings, grinding of the teeth, or infected or receding gums. If you crack or knock out your tooth, you can easily tell, but with a toothache, it makes things much more difficult. For consistent pain, you’ll want to see a dentist as soon as possible to make sure there isn’t anything extremely serious wrong. If you can’t see a dentist immediately, there are a few things that you can do to help. First, try painkillers, numbing gels, or salt water rinses to see if those help at all. Cold compresses can help, and some people suggest a cotton ball soaked with hard liquor over the tooth to help kill any bacteria causing pain. Once you get to the dentist for emergency dental care, they will be able to x-ray your teeth to identify the problem and then determine what treatment will help you best.
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