If you knock out or break a tooth during this pandemic, don’t fix it yourself. Instead, apply first aid and then seek emergency dental care in Naples, FL, to prevent causing further damage to your smile. It’s so important to know some of the most common first aid for dental emergencies. What you do between the time of the incident to the time you get to an emergency dentist could mean the difference between saving your tooth or losing it. Here are the first aid remedies for some of the most common dental emergencies.

What are the First Aid Remedies for Some of the Most Common Dental Emergencies?

Broken or Cracked Tooth

Teeth are stable, but trauma or extreme force can break or crack them. This can be very painful and might necessitate a root canal to fix the problem. You need to seek emergency dental care immediately because this condition cannot be treated at home. Usually, broken pieces cannot be bonded back. The tooth might require a crown or a bonding.

Likely these teeth will be temperature sensitive, so try to manage with lukewarm food and drink until you are able to come in for an appointment. If you knock out your tooth, pick it up by the crown (the top part you normally see) and place it in a cup of milk. If possible, rinse it with water for less than 10 seconds and then try to reinsert it into its socket in the correct position. A knocked-out tooth can still be re-implanted back to its device as long as you get to an emergency dentist within 30 minutes from the incident.

DO NOT scrub the tooth while rinsing it, it will remove the particles than can help to adhere the tooth to the socket. If you are unable to get the tooth into milk, then put it under your tongue, the saliva will also help to preserve the ligament fibers, though milk is preferable. Teeth can be reimplanted up to 2 hours after they are knocked out, (or avulsed), but the longer you wait the less chance of reattachment or loss. After two hours have elapsed, the tooth will no longer be viable for reimplantation.

Knocked-Out Tooth

If you knock out your tooth, pick it up by the crown and place it in a cup of milk. If possible, rinse it with water for less than 10 seconds and then try to reinsert it into its socket in the correct position. A knocked-out tooth can still be re-implanted back to its device as long as you get to an emergency dentist within 30 minutes from the incident.

Abscessed Tooth

If you see a pimple-like bump on your gums near a tooth that hurts, or sometimes doesn’t hurt, don’t poke it. Chances are, it’s an abscess, and infection from your tooth has spread to your jawbone. If you don’t get it treated, the infection can spread to other parts of your body and compromise your immune system. Before seeing a dentist, you can rinse your mouth with lukewarm saltwater to lessen the pain and bring the pus to the surface.

Looking for Emergency Dental Care in Naples, FL?

In case you encounter a dental emergency, use these tips to save your tooth! Gulfside Dental offers emergency dental care in Naples, FL. Don’t hesitate to seek help immediately! Contact us for inquires!