Emergency Dentist Near Me
How can you find an emergency Dentist near you? When an emergency arises, you want to act fast to limit any long term damage. The sooner you respond, the sooner you can be on the road to recovery. The first thing you should do is call your dentist. If you get a voicemail there should be instructions in case of emergency, such as calling another number or visiting the nearest emergency room. On your way to treatment, assess pain and discomfort. Grab a cool compress if necessary to stop bleeding.
What to do in case of Emergency
It is helpful to have an action plan in place. However, when emergencies strike it is often completely unexpected. The best first step you can take is to assess the situation.
1. Is there Pain? Pain is the bodies natural communication that something is wrong. If you or a loved one are in severe pain after a fall, a hit or collision, or some form of trauma; you need to call someone to help.
2. Is there bleeding? In broken teeth, knocked out teeth, or collisions it is common for the gums to bleed. If the bleeding is severe, try to clot it with a cold compress and call for emergency services.
3. Is everyone safe? If anyone is having problems breathing, going into shock, or begins to faint–bypass the dentist call and head straight for an emergency room. You can also always call 911 in case of emergency if you do not know what to do next.
Common Dental Emergencies
* Broken Teeth- If something happens where a tooth or teeth break before the root, try your best to save the teeth material. The first thing you want to do is remove any tooth pieces from your mouth, spitting if necessary. Small pieces of sharp tooth shrapnel may be present. Try your best to collect any sizable pieces, they may be helpful in reconstruction efforts.
* Knocked Out Teeth- When your teeth separate from within the root, there will be exceptional pain. Something with force has removed them from deep jaw supported structures. Work to stop the bleeding, and save the tooth between your gums and cheek, so long as the tooth itself is not too sharp. You can also store tooth material in a non acidic solution, like a glass of milk.
* Lacerations- If you are bleeding from your face or gums along a laceration, you may need stitches and restorative work. Try to keep pressure on the area to stop any bleeding, and be careful around the teeth roots, as touching these areas will cause sharp pains.
Do not immediately take any pain relieving medications until you talk with a doctor. Some over the counter pain remedies may contraindicate with blood clotting or higher level pain treatments. Instead, immediately call the dentist office or 911, then make you way to treatment as soon as possible.
What to do after treatment
Take it easy for a few days. Your doctor will probably give you a note to rest and recover. You will want to follow up with your dentist sometime between 48 hours to a week afterwards, to ensure treatment was successful. It will be helpful to schedule a couple of routine checkups to ensure your body is handling recovery well, and no signs of infection are present.