Dental emergencies are unfortunately quite common; while you can prevent many of them with good dental hygiene, disaster can strike at any time. For that reason, it’s a good idea to be prepared for a dental emergency in any situation.
One way you can go about that is by creating a dental emergency kit, one which contains all the tools to protect your smile until you can make it to the dentist’s office. As you can imagine, different issues will necessitate different sets of tools, so it’s a good idea to plan for each of the most common problems you could face. Here are examples of some of the most common dental emergencies, as well as what you could put in your dental emergency kit in order to make each of these situations easier to deal with.
Object Lodged in Teeth
While having a little piece of food in your teeth might not sound like much of an issue, it can be quite a problem in some circumstances. When the object lodged in the teeth is particularly stubborn and doesn’t seem to budge, it can cause a lot of discomfort and even swelling surrounding the issue.
For this reason, it’s usually a good idea to carry dental floss in your dental emergency kit. You might also want to put a dental mirror in your bag to make identifying problems easier, and latex gloves so you don’t get bacteria in your mouth.
Lost Restoration
Even the most stable restorations will fail eventually, and unfortunately this sometimes results in a crown or filling falling off unexpectedly.
You can prepare for this by packing something to protect your tooth should your restoration fail. This could be dental wax or a temporary dental filling material, both of which are available at any pharmacy.
Lost Tooth
Losing a tooth is an incredibly dramatic issue, one that typically warrants immediate dental attention. Time is of the essence when you’re in this situation, so being properly equipped can dramatically increase the odds of being able to put your tooth back in place.
Cotton swabs, cotton balls, and alcohol wipes can all be useful to treat the wounds in your mouth, but for the tooth itself you may want to pack something that makes transportation easy. A small water-tight container could be useful here, as well as little bit of salt to make a saline solution to immerse the tooth in.
About Our Practice
At Dental Group West, we have dedicated ourselves to the practice of dentistry to an extent that you’ll have trouble finding another set of oral healthcare professionals who can offer the same level of care. No matter what kind of situation you’re dealing with you can expect compassion, empathy, and personalized treatment that is going to exceed your expectations. Through a deep understanding of our you and your needs, we’re confident in our ability to help you with your issues.
If you have any questions about dental emergencies, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (419) 539-2168.