A dental emergency may crop up any time. In such circumstances it does not matter how meticulous and dedicated you are with your daily oral hygiene care. As a matter of fact, there is no way to eliminate the chances of an absolutely unexpected dental emergency. Only prompt and proper care and treatment count in a dental emergency. Only timely and adequate care and treatment can save victims of dental emergency from having a serious and long-term impact.
Even before reaching an emergency dentist’s office, a few actions can performed on the patient that raise the chances of fast recovery while minimise the extent of impact. You must be wondering what those actions are?
Let us explore those in the paragraphs below.
The first few minutes after a dental trauma
The first few minutes after a dental trauma are extremely crucial for every patient. As a first-aid caregiver you must be cautious about those first few minutes. Usually a dental injury results from a severe blow to the head. As a result of the blow a tooth or teeth may get knocked off or get chipped. Moreover the impact of the blow is also likely to damage the soft tissues and bones underlying the gums, roots of the teeth and the jaws. Injuries sustained at these places are not usually visible. This is why there is the utmost need for a quality dentist to intervene in these emergency cases without delay.
However ghastly the incident may have occurred, it is utmost crucial to stay calm. This is both for the victim or patient and the caregiver. You cannot afford to lose your cool at this stage. If you lose your cool then anxiety will find its way to creep in and that will make the condition of the patient even worse. Try to assess the extent of damage with your eyes. Is there any bleeding? If there is bleeding then how profuse is it? Is the patient unconscious or complaining about dizziness? Try getting these facts cleared out in the first place as much as you can.
Now it is time to get on to step #2. Check the level damage in the mouth of the patient. Take a look at the teeth that are close to the blow. Make sure whether those are chipped or have been knocked off completely. Remember at this point your next action depends on what you see as the condition of the patient.
When the teeth have been knocked off
First let us understand what a completely knocked off tooth is meant to be in dentistry. When an entire tooth is removed from its socket or comes loose by the impact of a blow. Based on the injury type it may be possible to place the knocked out tooth back in the empty socket. In that case the patient will not have to suffer from tooth loss. But to prevent tooth loss proper treatment must be started by a qualified dentist within a stipulated time from occurrence of the trauma. As long as the roots of the affected tooth are alive, the tooth can easily be retained and placed back in its socket just like before. But once the roots dry up then unfortunately tooth retention is no more possible.
The chances of saving the tooth depend upon how quickly certain actions are taken. Those actions include the following –
- Trace the missing tooth as fast as possible.
- Ask the patient not to swallow the saliva as long as the tooth has not been found out.
- Hold the tooth carefully by its crown (that is by the part food is chewed) and not by its roots.
- Simply rinse the teeth in pure water – no lukewarm, no warm water to be precise. Apply no toothpaste, mouthwash or any other chemical on the tooth. there is absolutely no need to brush it either.
- Remember at this stage the only priority is to keep the roots of the tooth alive till a dentist takes over the patient so that the tooth itself can be retained.
- If it is possible place the tooth loosely in the socket while on the way to an emergency dental clinic. If bleeding or swelling makes that impossible then just drop the tooth in a cup of cold milk or water to carry it to the dentist. This will keep its roots alive little longer.
When the teeth are cracked or chipped
A cracked or chipped tooth or teeth resulting from a dental trauma is nonetheless a small damage. Even such cases too must be handled by a qualified dentist within as short time as possible. The chances of repairing the damaged tooth depend on how fast the patient can reach an emergency dental clinic. Even the number of pieces formed out of the tooth determines the recovery factor in such cases.
If it is a case of chipped tooth you have to –
Trace out the fragmented piece or pieces and rinse those in water – no lukewarm, no warm water is needed. When a corner or a piece of a tooth comes out it is a case of chipped tooth explains an Emergency Dentists near Wimbledon. The patient can rinse the mouth with water although no mouthwash is to be used. While on the way to an emergency dentist carry the pieces in a cup of water or milk to ensure the roots or nerves inside the pieces do not dry up.
If the tooth is only cracked and there has been no breakage, ask the patient to rinse the mouth with water. A cold compress in these cases can reduce inflammation.
