Best Emergency Dentist in Prince Frederick, MD

Without a doubt, suffering through a dental emergency may be one of the most stressful things you’ll ever experience.

What can make it even more stressful is if it is your first time ever experiencing one. What do you do in a dental emergency and what counts as an emergency?

This article will discuss some common dental emergencies, and how to best handle them until you can get hold of the best emergency dentist in Prince Frederick, MD.

Urgent Dental Emergencies

There are some dental emergencies that require immediate attention. If your emergency falls into this category, you can usually figure it out without needing to consult anybody.

Situations that involve massive blood loss, missing teeth, jaw fracture, broken bones, or any other trauma require immediate medical attention. The longer you wait to seek treatment, the more likely you’ll face painful or irreversible consequences.

Bleeding from Mouth

If you are bleeding from your mouth, be sure not to take anticoagulants like Aspirin or ibuprofen to deal with the pain, since these will increase the blood flow. Instead, take Tylenol or another type of Acetaminophen.

Swelling

If you’re suffering from pain accompanied by swelling, odds are that you have contracted an infection and need to undergo a course of antibiotics. Swelling may mean that you have a tooth abscess, in which case you may need an endodontist to perform a root canal if your dentist is not available.

Swelling and inflammation can cause tremendous amounts of pain, especially in and around your gums. If the swelling intensifies, avoid eating or drinking. Do not wait for the pain to become worse. The sooner you can start your antibiotics, the better.

Knocked Out Tooth

If one of your teeth gets knocked out, you have a small window of time in which it may be able to reattach to its root. Be sure to pick it up by its crown, not its root.

Plug the sink to avoid losing your tooth down the drain and gently rinse it with milk. Gently press the tooth back into the socket, place a folded piece of sterile gauze on top, and gently bite down. While this may sound intimidating, it can make all the difference in saving your tooth.

Facial Fractures

A facial fracture refers to any injury that results in broken bones to the face. This could include damage to your eye sockets, forehead, cheekbones, nasal fractures, or—in the context of dental emergencies—upper and lower jaw fractures. Facial fractures can be mild, moderate, or life-threatening, and are usually the result of a car accident or sports injury.

If you suffer from a facial fracture, seek medical help immediately. Facial fractures require more than emergency dentistry, so if you think you have a broken or fractured facial bone, go to the hospital where you can receive multiple types of treatment.

Self-Care For Dental Emergencies

Certain dental emergencies allow for self-care until your dentist’s office re-opens. These emergency situations could include a chipped/fractured tooth or a toothache.

There are certain things you can do to cope with any pain or discomfort in the above scenarios. For instance, knotted dental floss can help you to remove a popcorn kernel or other foreign object from between your teeth, which may immediately relieve the pain.

In most cases, the best thing you can do in a dental emergency is to make a beeline to the nearest ER. Some self-care options can alleviate pain and discomfort. Of course, reach out to your dentist as soon as he or she becomes available for further consultation and treatment.

If you need help from the best emergency dentist in Prince Frederick, MD then call Dr. Luke at (301) 880-4439 to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.