Dental Emergency and What You Can do in Such Situations

An emergency can arise at any time. That is Murphy’s Law and it happens when you least expect it or at inopportune moments. Your teeth can start to ache at midnight when the world is safely asleep and you cannot get a wink. For you this constitutes a dental emergency and you will think of waking up your dentist for emergency treatment but it is not really practical or even possible that the dentist will agree. Dentists define emergencies their own way.

What to do in case of common pain

Teeth can start to give pain because of issues like caries and inflammation or infection. If this happens at night or on a weekend it is likely you will not be able to visit a dentist and get immediate relief. It is an emergency so this is what you can do at home to take care of this dental emergency:

Check your tooth with your finger. Is it loose? Do not shake it too much as that will aggravate nerve endings and because more pain.
Rinse your mouth with warm salt water solution. Salt decreases inflammation and infection.
Take a couple of pain killers and antibiotics to get relief.
You can keep a clove in your mouth. Clove is antiseptic and it also works as an analgesic.
Use hot and cold compresses externally.
Do not clench your jaw. That will only exert pressure and increase the pain.

You should get primary relief. Meanwhile, if you can get your dentist on the phone, fix an appointment stating the dental emergency. You should receive out of turn appointment for the next day.

Normal teeth can cause pain but if it is wisdom teeth they can cause just as much pain or even more because infection can affect throat and ligaments of the jaw. You will need to go in for emergency wisdom teethremoval at your dentist.

Broken tooth, accidents

Pain due to lose tooth or gum inflammation is something you can manage but if you have been in an accident and your tooth is broken or damaged then this constitutes a real emergency situation. It is possible your dentist may make an exception and give treatment at the clinic after working hours. If not then you may have no option but to get it treated at a general hospital that is open 24x7 with emergency treatment facility. Even then they may not be able to treat dental issues but may give palliative treatment until you can see a dentist.

Except in cases of accidents the other dental emergencies arise due to neglect or ignorance about dental issues. It is best to be aware of problems that can arise in the oral cavity relating to gums and to teeth. Keep inspecting your gums and teeth and if you feel inflammation or pain, especially when you chew food or consume anything hot or cold, go for preventive check up and treatment. Holistic Dental Donvale does handle dental emergency but also believes in taking action that will prevent such emergencies with timely action.