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Emergency Dental Services’ Tips For Treating Broken Teeth

There’s no telling when an accident is going to happen. Contact sports such as football and soccer, as well as auto accidents, and falls may cause trauma to your teeth. So, if you suffer from fractured teeth because of any of these incidents, then emergency dental services are a must. You also need to follow these steps to prevent further injury:

First aid treatment for a fractured tooth

1. Collect all tooth fragments or the displaced tooth

You need to handle the displaced tooth gently as you collect them. Bear in mind that any damage to the root of the tooth may prevent re-implantation. You should only touch the crown or the top portion of the tooth with caution. Next, rinse the tooth gently in a bowl of clean lukewarm water for a maximum of 10 seconds. Doing so will ensure that no dirt or foreign matter is sticking to it. Also, do not scrape or scrub the tooth. Do not use alcohol to disinfect or remove dust from the tooth.

2. Store the tooth or put it back

You need to rinse your mouth with warm water to remove the blood or any foreign matter. If it’s possible, you may try to put the permanent tooth back into its rightful sockets. Then, ask the patient to bite on a gauze pad to hold them properly. If it’s not possible, you may store them in whole milk instead. Otherwise, ask the patient to store them between his cheek and gum until he’s able to go to the emergency dental clinic. Doing so will prevent the tooth from withering.

3. Help manage the pain

You need to control the bleeding by using a sterile cloth or gauze. Hold the gauze for the patient until the patient is able to go to the emergency dental services. If the patient has a facial trauma, immediately apply a cold compress to the fracture to minimize the swelling. To help alleviate pain, you may advise the patient to take acetaminophen and follow the packaging directions. It’s best not to apply a painkiller directly to the gum as this may cause the gum tissue to burn.

4. Reach out for help

It’s best to see a dentist or immediately go to an emergency dental clinic if the patient suffers from any tooth displacement. You need to take the tooth or the fragments with you to see if it’s still qualified for re-implantation.

What is the treatment for a loose tooth?

The doctor will perform an X-ray to examine the tooth’s condition correctly and conduct a proper prognosis. If the results from the emergency dental services showed a damaged tooth pulp, the tooth might require a root canal treatment. However, if there aren’t any damages in the pulp, then the tooth might only need a crown.

Meanwhile, if severe fractures caused tooth displacement, the dentist needs to perform a medical procedure to stabilize it. To prevent the loose tooth from falling out, the dentist needs to bond it to the adjacent teeth. Doing so helps it to stabilize while the gums and prominent bones gradually heal.

The dentist will reevaluate the tooth’s condition in at least two weeks to monitor the healing process. It’ll also give the dentist enough time to determine if the tooth’s condition requires a root canal. If the tooth appears to be stable and has fully recovered, the dentist will remove the splint. Soon after, he will either place a filling or crown to strengthen the fractured tooth. Your dentist may still require you to undergo further examination for up to a year. Thus, giving the dentist enough time to determine if you need to undergo any new treatment.

You’ll never know when an accident is about to strike. However, the best thing to do is to prepare for it. You may ask the emergency dental clinic near your area, so you’ll know whom to contact in case of any accidents.

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About DentistryEd

Sharky Liu is the founder and CEO of DentistFind, a results-driven dental marketing platform and marketing service that applies an analytical and data-based approach to increase new patient acquisition for dental practices. 

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