A Parent’s Guide to Emergency Dental Care

Posted on: 10 February 2015

Dental problems seem to have a habit of cropping up on weekends, when your dentist isn't available to schedule an appointment. If you are suffering from a serious dental issue, then you should contact your dental office's answering service and speak to the dentist who is on call for emergencies. However, if you have a minor issue that can wait until Monday morning, then there are some things that you can do to make yourself a lot more comfortable.

Major Dental Issues

If you have any of the following dental issues, then you need to call your dentist's office ASAP:

• a broken tooth
• a tooth that has fallen out
• an infection

Additionally, any bleeding from your teeth or gums should be reported to your dentist immediately because they can be signs of very serious medical conditions.

If a tooth has been knocked out during sports, then you should immediately:

• wash the tooth with bottled water
• place the tooth in milk, or in spit from the tooth's owner
• contact the dentist on call
• immediately visit the dentist to have the tooth replanted

Some teeth are able to be replanted and will reattach to your jaw bone. The ability for your body to accept the tooth has a lot to do with getting the tooth professionally reattached as quickly as possible. The longer the tooth is outside of your body, then the less of a chance you have that it will reattach. However, it is always worth trying to replant the tooth!

Dental Pain Issues

There are many ways that you can deal with dental pain while you are waiting to see your dentist, such as:

• over-the-counter pain medication
• topical anesthetic teething gel
• a warm saltwater rinse

Additionally, you should gently brush the painful area with a soft toothbrush and a small amount of toothpaste. Sometimes food or other objects become lodged into a decayed cavity and this can cause a lot of pain. Simply removing the object by brushing your teeth can greatly improve the pain that you are feeling.

After you brush your teeth, then you should rinse your mouth with a warm saltwater rinse. To make the rinse, mix 1 cup of warm water with 1 tablespoon of table salt.

Dental Filling Loss

If you have lost a filling during a weekend, then you can go to a local pharmacy and purchase some temporary dental filling material. You will need to mix the material and then place it into the hole left behind from your missing filling. This will keep air from causing pain in your tooth.

Final Thoughts

There is no need for you to suffer with excessive dental pain on a weekend. If you have a serious situation, then you should always contact your dentist. If you have a minor dental emergency, then you can safely treat yourself at home until Monday morning, when you can call to schedule an emergency appointment.

For more information, contact Claremont Dental Institute or a similar location.