Dental emergencies, like toothaches or broken teeth, can happen at any time, and if you don’t respond appropriately, your smile can suffer serious consequences. Fortunately, you can prepare a plan for dealing with a dental emergency.
Knowing that you have a trustworthy option for an emergency dentist is a good first step. Keeping certain items handy to address a dental emergency will also help.
Read on to learn more about how you can best prepare for a dental emergency.
What should I do in a dental emergency?
The steps that you should take in a dental emergency depend on the severity of the symptoms or injury. For example, for a broken jaw or an issue that involves serious bleeding, you will likely need to seek immediate medical treatment at your local hospital’s emergency room.
Other dental emergencies aren’t quite as urgent however, although they do need prompt attention. In these cases, you can seek care from an emergency dentist.
An emergency dentist will be able to accommodate same-day appointments and will also have someone available on-call to advise patients when emergencies occur outside of normal business hours. We will see you in our office as soon as possible to provide any necessary treatment.
Additionally, if you seek medical care elsewhere, such as in an ER, and are instructed to follow up with an emergency dentist, we can handle those cases, as well.
What should I keep in my dental emergency kit?
Even if your dentist is able to schedule same-day appointments, you may need to manage the situation temporarily on your own prior to the appointment time or until the office opens if the emergency happens outside of normal business hours.
Having a dental emergency kit on hand will help you to keep the problem in check while you wait to receive professional attention. The following items may be useful:
- Sterile gauze (to apply pressure to bleeding)
- Tooth preservation media (to store dislodged teeth)
- Dental floss (to remove items that get stuck in the teeth)
- Temporary filling material (to replace fillings that get lost)
- Analgesic gel (to manage toothaches)
- Clove oil (for pain relief)
Ask your dentist for other recommendations of emergency kit items so that you can be prepared to handle anything.
We are happy to help you develop a plan for how to respond to dental emergencies. Feel free to call our team at Brend Dental and speak to one of our knowledgeable staff members, who can answer any questions you may have.
