Emergency
Accidents and dental emergencies happen and knowing what to do when one occurs can mean the difference between saving and losing a tooth. Dr. Zarekari has had training in treating patients with trauma, and has treated many patients over the years successfully.
Remember delaying necessary dental care never results in your dental problems going away; most times, they get worse, and fixing them becomes more intensive and more expensive.
Here are some tips for common dental emergencies:
Chipped or broken teeth
- Save any broken pieces,
- Rinse the mouth using warm water; rinse any broken pieces,
- If there's bleeding, apply a piece of gauze to the area for about 10 minutes or until the bleeding stops,
- Apply a cold compress to the outside of the mouth, cheek, or lip near the broken/chipped tooth to keep any swelling down and relieve pain.
Knocked-out tooth
- Retrieve the tooth, hold it by the crown (the part that is usually exposed in the mouth),
- Rinse off the tooth root with water if it's dirty,
- Do not scrub it or remove any attached tissue fragments,
- If possible, try to put the tooth back in place. Make sure it's facing the right way. Never force it into the socket,
- If it's not possible to reinsert the tooth in the socket, put the tooth in a small container of milk (or cup of water that contains a pinch of table salt, if milk is not available)
- Knocked out teeth with the highest chances of being saved are those seen by the dentist and returned to their socket within 1 hour of being knocked out.
Abscess
- Abscesses are infections that occur around the root of a tooth or in the space between the teeth and gums. Abscesses are a serious condition that can damage tissue and surrounding teeth, with the infection spreading to other parts of the body if left untreated,
- Because of the serious oral health and general health problems that can result from an abscess. To ease the pain and draw the pus toward the surface, try rinsing your mouth with a mild salt-water solution (1/2 teaspoon of table salt in 8 ounces of water) several times a day.
Sport Injury
- Don’t be the victims of a preventable injury: wear a mouth guard. While mouth guards are not mandatory equipment in all sports, their worth is indisputable. Dentists see many oral and facial injuries that might have been prevented by the use of a mouth guard.
- Facial injuries in every sport can result in damage to teeth, lips, cheeks and tongue. Mouth guards cushion blows to the face and neck. A mouth guard should be part of every athlete's gear, no matter the sport. It's better to play it safe than face a devastating and painful oral injury.
- Even adults are not free from the dangers of mouth injuries. Dentists treat many trauma injuries in weekend athletes. Whatever your age or sport, mouth guards are an important part of sports safety and your exercise routine. Do what you can to protect your smile and preserve your health.
Sport Injury Do's and Don'ts
- Do wear a mouth guard at all times when playing sports.
- Do inform us about the most common oral injuries. Do wear a mouth guard custom-fitted by your dentist, especially if you wear fixed dental appliances such as braces or bridgework.
- Do not wear removable appliances (retainers, bridge, or complete or partial dentures) when playing sports.