What Patients Should Know About Emergency Dental Services
Accidents can happen when you least expect them. Some can be more serious than others, requiring different kinds of urgent care and emergency treatment. In fact, we get many questions and many calls regarding emergency dental treatments at our cosmetic dentistry center.
Because we do field many of these kinds of matters, our dental care team wanted to take a few minutes to consider some of the basics regarding dental health emergencies. This basic information should give you a good idea about what too do in the event of a dental emergency and how we can help.
What is a dental emergency?
A dental emergency refers to an injury that affects the teeth, the gums, the jaw, the palate, and other structures of the mouth. These emergencies can occur due to motor vehicle accidents, trips and falls, blows to the mouth, sports (especially combat sports and full-contact sports), and so on.
Examples of Dental Health Emergencies
Some types of dental heath emergencies are similar to many concerns in general dentistry. These include:
- Chipped teeth
- Broken teeth
- Tooth loss
- Gum injury
- Tongue injury
- Jaw joint dislocation
What should I do following an accident that results in mouth injury?
The most important thing that needs to be considered first is the seriousness of the injury. If there are major/urgent health needs that need to be taken care of, it's important that you visit a medical emergency room right away. This includes issues regarding major lacerations, facial trauma, and other potentially life-threatening injuries.
If the dental injury simply involves the injury of a dental structure and there is no life-threatening damage, then patients should contact their dentist as soon as possible so that the dental emergency can be addressed.
Tips for Tooth Loss or Tooth Damage
Some of the most common kinds of dental emergencies involve tooth loss and tooth breaks. Because of this, we'd like to provide you with some basics regarding these kinds of dental injuries.
It's important that the tooth fragment or tooth itself is recovered and cleaned with water. Patients should then place the tooth or tooth fragment in a glass of milk. If no milk is available, then a glass of water will suffice.
At the practice, the dentist will do his or her best to save the tooth or the tooth fragment. In many cases, the tooth itself can be set in the gum tissue and jawbone so long as the root structure is intact and the tooth structure is safe. For tooth fragments, there is a good likelihood that the tooth piece can be reattached so long as the patient acts quickly enough.
Other Matters to Consider
The adage is always applicable: the best treatment is always preventative. If you are playing any contact sports or engaged in activities that may result in mouth injury, be sure to wear proper mouth or face protection. This can mean the difference between tooth loss and no injury to the mouth whatsoever.
Learn More About Treatments for Dental Health Emergencies
For more information about dental health emergencies and other issues related to urgent dental care, be sure to contact our Doylestown dental care center today. The entire team here looks forward to meeting you in person and helping you achieve total dental wellness in the process.
