You’ve been looking forward to this family getaway for months, and it’s finally here. You’re sitting on the beach with your spouse and kids, enjoying some crunchy chips. Suddenly you feel something even crunchier than the chips. A wave of pain shoots through your mouth. You spit out your food to find a piece of your tooth that has chipped off! What should you do? An emergency dentist in Gainesville is here to talk about how to handle this situation.
What Should I Do If I Have a Dental Emergency?
Calling the dentist is the first thing you should do in a dental emergency. However, here are some things you can do in the meantime for common emergency situations:
- Knocked-out tooth: Teeth that are reattached to the socket within an hour of being lost have the highest chance of recovery. Hold the tooth by the crown (the chewing surface), rinse it in warm water, and place it back in the socket facing the proper direction. If you can’t do this, place the tooth in a glass of milk or saltwater until you can see a dentist.
- Broken tooth: Rinse your mouth and any parts of the broken tooth with warm water. Apply ice to the area of the cheek outside the broken tooth to reduce swelling. Use gauze if you’re bleeding.
- Lost filling: You can use sugarless gum as a replacement filling until you can see your dentist.
- Lost crown: Use toothpaste, over-the-counter dental cement or dental adhesive to temporarily reattach the crown.
- Lost or broken braces bracket, band, or wire: For a broken wire, push it back into place using the eraser end of a pencil, so you don’t poke any part of your mouth. You could also coat the tip with a cotton ball, gauze, or orthodontic wax. For a lost bracket, temporarily attach it with orthodontic wax.
How Can I Find a Local Emergency Dentist?
If you find yourself in an unfamiliar area with a dental emergency, go to the front desk of the hotel you’re staying at and ask the person behind the counter about any dentists in the area. In addition, if you have any friends in the area who could recommend a dentist, ask them right away and let them know it’s an emergency. For the moment, don’t worry about insurance. The most important thing, especially if you have a knocked-out tooth, is getting your situation treated right away.
Dental emergencies can be scary, especially if you’re not in your hometown. We hope this guide can make it easy if this unfortunate situation ever happens to you.
About the Author
Dr. Gabriel Nossa is a member of several professional organizations, including the American and Florida Dental Associations and the Alachua County Dental Association. He is happy to treat any dental emergencies if you have one while visiting Gainesville, FL this summer. To learn more about what to do in a dental emergency, click here or call (352)-332-8133.