Dental injuries can happen to anyone, and they are more common than you think. While a damaging blow to the face or teeth can occur during a serious automobile or sports accident, teeth injuries can occur during regular daily activities. Most dentists’ offices, such as Valley Dental Health in Cockeysville MD, keep availability for dental emergencies. Here’s what you need to know about dental first aid and what to do if your teeth are injured.
How Can Teeth Get Hurt?
Teeth are strong, but injuries can happen anywhere. There are several ways teeth can potentially get injured. Serious trauma to the face can result in a dental injury, such as an impact to the face in a sports injury or a serious fall. These injuries usually need immediate medical treatment in a hospital or clinic.
Significant trauma isn’t the only way teeth get injured. Teeth can become fractured, cracked, or even knocked out from cavities and tooth decay, or chewing or biting on hard objects such as pencils, pens, or hard food items. Most injuries like this that are not associated with head or neck trauma can be treated in our office instead of a hospital, but you should always seek immediate treatment.
What to Do in a Dental Emergency
Dental injuries are common, so don’t panic if you’re experiencing a dental problem that needs attention. Call your dentist as soon as possible if you think you need immediate attention, or if the injury is severe, go to the nearest emergency room.
- Swelling of the gums and oral tissue can occur with dental injuries. Applying ice or a cold pack on the cheeks or lips or even inside the mouth can help reduce swelling and pain before you get to the dentist.
- If a permanent tooth has been knocked out, keep the displaced tooth moist at all times. Try to replace the tooth back into the socket without touching the root, or place the tooth in milk or a tooth-preserving product approved by the ADA. See a dentist as soon as possible.
- If you have bitten your tongue or lip during the injury, gently clean the area with water and apply a cold compress.
- For cracked teeth, rinse your mouth with warm water to clean the area and apply cold compresses to reduce swelling.
- For toothaches, flush the area with warm water and use dental floss to remove any food caught between the teeth. Do not apply aspirin to the gum or the tooth itself.
Avoiding Dental Injuries
- Never try to open things with your teeth.
- Avoid hard foods that can crack your teeth such as hard candy and ice, and never chew on non-food items like pen caps or pencils.
- Always wear a protective mouth guard when playing sports.
Emergency Dentist in Cockeysville, MD
Most dentists keep openings in their schedule for dental emergencies, and Valley Dental Health is available for dental emergencies. For more information on dental first aid or to schedule a visit with us, call our office at 443-733-6613.