Dental emergencies are uncertain and they can occur anytime. This is when it becomes essential to deal with oral problems at home with effective home care tips. When it becomes almost impossible to deal with a dental emergency at home, you should see an emergency dentist immediately. Go through this blog to know how you can manage temporary dental care in times of emergency.
1. Toothache – One of the common dental emergencies is suffering from severe toothache that definitely requires proper treatment. By following home care measures, you can deal with the symptoms until seeing a dentist. Try to lessen the intake of sugar and avoid extreme temperatures, either hot or cold that can cause toothache. If you have a cracked tooth or there is a hole in the tooth, then a temporary filling can cover the imperfections and stop tooth from getting sensitive.
2. Swelling – Dental abscess or infections can be the reason for swelling. When there is some swelling in your mouth, then take pain killers as required. Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory that can lessen the swelling. You may drain the abscess yourself at home by putting pressure and massaging slightly. Doing this will usually lessen pressure and ease pain. Use warm saltwater as a mouthwash or half a teaspoon of salt in half mug of water for three times in a day.
3. Lost filling – There are changes for fillings to fall out easily and it is quite common to break a tooth around silver filling. The traditional form of silver fillings can make your teeth highly vulnerable to break in due course. If there is some kind of pain, then you should take painkillers, as suggested by the dentist. Make sure you maintain good dental hygiene habits and low sugar diet to avoid any kind of decay from getting worse.
4. Wisdom tooth – Wisdom tooth pain occurs due to gum inflammation over your erupting tooth, which may get worse due to trauma from biting. Most dental problems should be dealt with good home care and this need to settle down within a few days to one week. Proper cleaning is a must eve if it is really painful to brush. The area should be kept clean to encourage healing and soft diet is recommended. If there is swelling in the cheek, face or difficulty in opening your mouth, then you need to take antibiotics as the infection can spread further.
5. Ulcers – Though ulcers seem to cause extreme pain, they usually heal within 7 to 10 days. The non-healing ulcers which remain for more than 3 weeks will require urgent referral for ruling out serious concerns. It is important to maintain good oral hygiene habits as it encourages proper healing and prevents the occurrence of ulcers. In case the ulcer occurs due to denture, then you should remove the denture soon.
6. Lost crown – Old crowns can fail anytime and this can be heart-breaking when it is for your front tooth. There are some cases when effective home care measures may fix this problem temporarily till you visit an emergency dentist in London. It is advisable that you check and clean the crown and if it becomes hollow, try to re-cement it at home.
7. Pain after extraction – Mostly, this will require good home care and you should take your painkillers regularly for several days after the extraction, as it is required. It is not suggested to take antibiotics for pain after teeth extraction unless there is swelling, infection or pus discharge. Take warm saltwater mouthwash to prevent further infection. If you are addicted to smoking or have rinsed soon after the extraction, then there is some risks associated with dry socket. When the pain gets worse after one week, taking regular painkillers won’t be that much effective. You need to see a dentist for dressing of the socket to cover your exposed bone.
8. Bleeding after tooth extraction – This usually happens after your tooth gets extracted. Pink saliva and little oozing from tooth extraction site is normal. If the socket bleeds, then this will respond well to pressure. Make sure you bite firmly on a handkerchief or gauze for 30 minutes. In case the bleeding does not stop, then you might require sutures and socket packs.
9. Rubbing sutures – All sutures are resorbable as they fall out on their own in due course. Make sure you keep the site clean with warm salt water mouthwash and gentle brushing. All sutures are easy to remove when it is needed. If you feel confident, then all you need to do is one cut anywhere on the suture with small scissors. Try to grab hold of knot to pull it and there can be more than one suture. So, each one has to be removed individually.
10. Rubbing dentures – These require proper adjustment by your dentist. You can use a fixative such as Seabond or Fixodent denture pads as they stabilise denture and make them more comfortable. Any sharp bits need to be adjusted at home with emery board. If these have not helped and it becomes sore to wear, then you should leave the denture out till you see a dentist.
11. Sensitivity – Your teeth may become sensitive due to fillings, decay or receding gums. Make sure you brush your teeth thoroughly at least two times daily and get rid of unwanted stains quickly. Rub the paste directly on your affected area and do not rinse for sometime. This should be left for at least one hour and practice this twice daily for a few weeks for getting the desired results. Do not take hot or cold foods and drinks and maintain good oral hygiene to prevent this problem from getting worse.
12. Bleeding gums – This happens due to periodontitis (gum disease) or gingitvitis. Your gums won’t stop bleeding till you improve your dental hygiene habits. Make sure you brush teeth and gyms twice in a day by spending some additional time on the gums that bleed.
You can type in Google search box “emergency dentist near me”, when looking for the one in your area and get your affected teeth treated quickly.
